Just This Side of Crazy
by deviant bamboo
Summary: I deal in crazy all day long, but meeting her made me question my own sanity. Maybe she was certifiably insane, but I believed her. So what did that make me? ***Meet the Mate Contest entry - Voted Most Potential for a Full Story***
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This was my first entry for the Meet the Mate Contest.**

 **I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who voted in the contest.**

 **This story was actually voted 'Most Potential for a Full Story', which I must say is really incredible considering there were EIGHTY entries. I am so very humbled and grateful at even being mentioned in a contest that had such a fabulous wealth of writers and stories. There were so many entries that had great potential for a full length story and I am beyond excited that you all wanted to hear more about my crazy little Bella.**

 **So, guess what peeps? You get your wish. I'm extending this one…a lot. There's a whole lot of story to tell; murder, mystery, crazy times, smexy times, it's all there. I'm only about six chapters in though and I want to be a whole lot further, so you guys won't have to wait for updates. Put me on alert and I'll start posting in a few weeks.**

 **So, thank you again to everyone who read and voted.**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

EPOV

I squeezed my eyes shut against the harsh glare of the overhead fluorescents and sagged against the counter, taking a quiet moment to shake off the exhaustion. Fuck, these overnights killed me.

"Dr. Cullen?" Sue called from behind the desk. My eyes snapped to hers as she gazed at me worriedly. "Are you alright?"

I nodded and rubbed the back of my neck, twisting my head from side to side to work the kinks out. "Yeah, just not used to these night shifts yet."

She smiled sympathetically and patted my hand in a motherly gesture. "You'll get used to it." Sue was the head nurse on the ward during the night shift. An extremely kind hearted woman, she was the most compassionate nurse I'd ever had the pleasure of knowing. Not to mention competent and meticulous to a fault. She tended to mother me a little more than anyone else, but that was mainly because of my age and the fact the she never had any children of her own.

At twenty six, I was officially the youngest licensed psychiatrist practicing in the area. I'd taken this job at Harborview Psychiatric Hospital after my residency because it was one of the top inpatient mental health facilities in Seattle. However, being the youngest doctor and the most recent addition to the staff meant that I got stuck with some of the less appealing tasks…like working the overnight shift.

Sue cleared her throat and shuffled through some files on the desk before passing me a chart. "Dr. Cheney called from Virginia Mason. Seems we've got a new patient headed this way."

"Now?"

"Yep," she responded briskly. "He sent over her paperwork about ten minutes ago."

I begrudgingly took the file and looked at my watch. Half past midnight. Fan-fucking-tastic. "Well, maybe Hunter can give her an evaluation in the morning."

"Nope. Cheney says she's awake and verbalizing, so it needs to be done right away." Sue smirked at me. She knew how much I loathed the new patient admission process. "But if you're good, I might be able to finagle you some pot roast."

My head snapped up and I grinned like a five year old on Christmas morning. Fuck, she had me salivating at the mere mention of a home cooked meal. "Harry bringing you dinner?"

"He'd better be if he knows what's good for him!" She smirked and let out a hearty laugh. "Old coot's got nothing better to do. He said he'd be here around three if that's good for you."

"God, I could kiss you!" I was your typical bachelor living off of barbeque hot pockets and pizza delivery. Getting a real home cooked meal was akin to winning the fucking lottery in my book.

She slapped at my arm and grinned, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Oh you! Stop flirting with an old lady and get back to work!"

I smiled at her playfulness and winked suggestively, tucking the newly acquired patient file under my arm. "Can't help myself. You've got me riled up with all that food talk! Call me when the new patient gets here. I'll be in my office."

I turned and strode down the hallway toward the electronic double doors that led to the back offices, stopping abruptly in front of the keypad situated on the wall. My heart squeezed a little as I punched in my access code.

Eleven. Thirteen. Sixty-eight. My mother's birthday.

The double doors opened and I strolled down the corridor until I reached the heavy oak door of my office. As I stepped inside, I looked wistfully at the couch situated against the wall on the far side of the room and quietly swore under my breath. If not for this new patient, I might've been able to lie down and catch a little shuteye. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I plopped down into the chair behind my desk, the leather creaking and groaning under my weight, and opened the file on my new patient. I was struck right away by the scanned photo. She looked to be around my age with creamy skin, hazel eyes, and pouty lips. Fuck me. To top it all off, she was a brunette.

Why were the beautiful ones always crazy?

I sighed wearily as I flipped past the photo to the first page of Cheney's report. There really wasn't a lot here to work with. No identification, which wasn't unusual in these types of cases, accompanied by a short list of non-life-threatening injuries. She was non-combative during the examination in the ER, but the notes indicated that she was completely nonsensical and her toxicology report came back negative for any type of drugs in her system.

My thoughts were interrupted by the shrill ring of the phone. I fumbled with the receiver before pressing it to my ear. "Yeah, Sue?"

"Your new patient has arrived."

I quickly hung up the phone and rushed from my office. The file said this girl wasn't hostile, but I couldn't take any chances with Sue. I impatiently punched my code into the keypad, getting it wrong the first two times, and sent up a quiet thanks when the double doors finally swung open. Yet all of my anxiety was for nothing.

There, spinning in the center of the brightly lit hallway, was the most beautiful vision I'd ever seen. Her long, wavy hair whipped around her as her tinkling giggle reverberated off the walls.

Sue laughed right along with the mystery girl, clapping softly in time, as if she too could hear some phantom melody. "Alright, dear, that's enough now. Come meet your new doctor," Sue grinned, placing her hands on the girls' shoulders to halt her twirling.

She whipped around to look at me and a bright smile lit up her face. "You're not dead either! This is fantastic! Not dead! Not dead!" She danced in a circle around me chanting those words over and over, like a gypsy in celebration.

"Hey, hey," I chucked, her exuberance positively infectious. "I need you to calm down please. You're going to wake the other patients."

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she whispered, pinching her lips together remorsefully. Her sunny disposition was overcome by one of fear and anxiety, like storm clouds moving across a bright blue sky. She held out her hand toward me and curled her fingers in a 'come hither' motion.

I moved toward her slowly as she bounced on her toes nervously. As soon as I was within reach, she grabbed the lapel of my coat and pulled me down to where she could whisper in my ear.

"Am I going to be locked up again? I can't breathe in a box!" Glassy eyes filled with unshed tears bored into me as she began to tremble. "Please don't put me in the box!"

Sue gazed at me worriedly while I took in the girl's appearance for the first time. She had a four inch gash on her forehead right at her hairline and her jaw was mottled with bruises, the most prominent being a thick red and purple mark straight across her neck . Dr. Cheney had put almost thirty stitches in to close that head wound and, while the hospital had cleaned her up as best they could, I could still see streaks of dirt on her face and hands. They'd changed her into a pair of light blue scrubs, but I was willing to bet the clothes that I'd find in the plastic drawstring bag on Sue's desk were in just as bad a shape.

I needed to sit down with this girl and assess her so I could begin treatment. "I'm not going to put you in a box…I swear it." She seemed to relax a bit at my words as she gazed up at me.

"Pretty, pretty green," she sighed. "Won't put me in a box."

I smiled at her easy acceptance and held out my hand. "Will you come with me to my office and we can talk?"

She looked to Sue for reassurance before nodding, slipping her small hand in mine. I led her down to my office and situated her on the couch while I took the wingback chair. Looking at her face, I could tell her emotions were all over the place. Fear, elation, remorse…she ran the gamut.

I sat my recorder on the small coffee table in front of her and pulled out my notepad and pen. "How about we start with who you are? Can you tell me your name?"

"I'm the voice of the lost, the truth teller, the naysayer-"

"That's not a name," I sighed. "Let's try again. What's your name?"

"Itsy Bitsy," she replied before breaking out into a haunting rendition of The Itsy Bitsy Spider. She jumped off the couch and twirled around, adding the appropriate hand gestures to her song. I fought to keep a straight face, but my grin broke through. She was too fucking cute. As soon as her song concluded, she calmly took her seat back on the couch.

"While that was quite _entertaining_ …I still need your name," I pressed.

"Itsy Bitsy!" She insisted, beginning her song anew.

I held my hands up in as a sign of surrender, chuckling quietly. "Okay, okay! I'll call you Itsy for now. My name's Dr. Cullen."

"Yep. Edward, Edward, Edward. I know, she told me."

"Who told you?" I asked, shocked that she knew my first name. Sue always made a point never to use doctors' first names in the presence of patients as we weren't exactly dealing with people of sound mind here.

Itsy pointed toward my desk. "She did."

I whipped around, half expecting to see someone sitting in the chair behind my desk, but of course no one was there. Laughing at my own absurdity, I turned back toward Itsy and leaned forward in my chair, placing my elbows on my knees. "Do you know why you're here, Itsy?"

She immediately settled back into the couch, suddenly timid. "I didn't want to be there, but they asked me. He put me in a box. All I did was tell the truth and he put me in a box. The spiders came and chased away what I had left and I couldn't find Casper! Casper has what I need…"

I scribbled furiously across my notepad, trying to take down key words and gestures. I'd have Sue transcribe the recording later, but I wanted to makes notes on the more critical points. Her mood swings were exaggerated and she seemed to be speaking in a code that only she could understand. Given those tells, I was fairly certain she had a mild form of Schizophrenia. My mother had been the same way when she was off her meds.

"Itsy, who is Casper?" I asked, trying to ascertain the identity of someone else in her life. "Did Casper put you in the box?"

She threw her hands up in frustration and huffed. "Of course not! Casper is you! He's you, silly man."

I was completely bewildered. "I don't understand, Itsy. How can Casper be me? I'm Edward. You said so yourself."

"Casper, Edward…all the same. All the same." She ran her hand through her long hair, pulling it over one shoulder.

My eyes were immediately drawn to what appeared to be part of a tattoo peeking out from under the neckline of her top. I flipped through her file again, finding no mention of a tattoo. Someone missed it. "Itsy, would you mind if I looked at the back of your neck?"

She looked confused for a moment, but then shrugged nonchalantly. Without batting an eye, she snatched the pen out of my hand and proceeded to pull all of her hair up and away from her neck and face, twisting the silky strands into a bun and securing it with my pen. Turning her back to me, she sat perfectly still, leaving me to my inspection.

I swallowed thickly at the creamy expanse of skin laid before me. I wanted to run my fingers down the column of her neck and watch as goosebumps rose in their wake. My eyes drank her in as I fought the urge to press my lips to her shoulder. There was something about this girl that tugged at me. Taking a few deep breaths to clear my head, I pulled the collar of her shirt down just a smidge to take a look.

What the fuck? She had a tattoo of the caduceus – the universal symbol for doctor. There was something else further down, but I couldn't see it clearly with her shirt on.

As if she'd read my mind, Itsy reached down and whipped her shirt over her head, tossing it halfway across the room. "Is that better?" she asked, turning her head slightly in my direction.

I quickly averted my eyes and jumped out of my chair, racing across the room to retrieve her top. "Itsy, I need you to put this back on-"

The moment I turned back toward her, I was struck dumb by the sight walking toward me. Itsy…topless…perfect breasts tipped with rosy nipples. I wanted nothing more than to put my mouth on her. I shut my eyes to block out that perfect image. "Itsy, I need you to turn around. Tell me when you've turned around, okay?"

"Okay, Edward." Her voice sounded slightly dejected. I chanced a quick peek and found her standing with her bare back to me.

There in plain script under the caduceus was a ten digit number, almost like some kind of stamp or identification number. I grabbed my cellphone from my pocket and snapped a quick picture to analyze later. "There's a tattoo on your shoulder, Itsy. Do you know what it means?"

She nodded and grinned. "For when I fall!" she replied, grabbing the shirt from my fingers and pulling it back over her head. "He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease. That daring young man on the flying trapeze," she sang slightly off key while twirling in circles.

I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Okay, Itsy. I think it's time for some medicine and then time for bed. What do you think?"

Her spinning abruptly stopped and she looked at me with wide eyes and trembling lips. "Sleep?" she asked, hesitantly. "In the box?"

"No, Itsy, definitely not," I reassured her. "You'll sleep in a bed, okay?" I led her out of my office and back to the ward where Sue greeted us warmly.

Opening Itsy's chart, I made a few notes while the two ladies chatted. "Sue, this is Itsy Bitsy. It's rather late and I think she'd benefit from a nice warm bed. Can I get 50mg of Haldol, please?"

"Sure, Dr. Cullen." Sue stepped around the corner to the medicine locker and returned a moment later with a syringe and a swab. She swiped the alcohol pad over Itsy's arm and quickly administered the injection. "There now, dear. Let's get you to your room."

~oOo~

 _I was clinging to a pole, perched high on a platform, while insect sized numbers with dragonfly wings buzzed around me. I swatted them away, but almost lost my balance, teetering precariously above the black expanse of empty space below me. Itsy called out to me from her own pedestal across the way. I could barely make out her beaming smile as she stood with a trapeze in her hand, preparing to jump. I shouted for her not to do it, but she dove anyway, her lean body sailing through the air in a gentle arc toward me._

 _She was so close. I reached out to grab her, but at the last moment she let go. Her face held no fear as she fell away into darkness._

 _"_ _It's okay, Edward. It's there to catch me when I fall…"_

I shot straight up in bed, shaking and drenched in sweat. Rubbing my hand briskly over my face, I thought back over my dream and what it all meant, the pieces finally coming together.

The tattoo…the numbers. They were her _safety net_. But what did the numbers mean? I reached for my phone to pull up the picture I had taken. My finger hovered over the camera icon when I was suddenly struck with the answer.

Ten digits. Ten.

It was a phone number.

I quickly pulled up the image and jotted down the numbers, then dialed them on my phone. It rang twice followed by a long beep.

 _"_ _Hello. My name is Isabella Swan. If you've reached this recording, then things have gotten out of hand…again. I'm not crazy, but you've probably made contact with my more…irrational…self. If this is the case, please contact Dr. Jasper Whitlock in Phoenix, Arizona. His number is (206) 555-3336. He's my psychiatrist and can verify the validity of this recording. If you are a physician treating me, please administer 50mg of Haldol. I have a standing prescription of antipsychotic drugs, but the Haldol will work the quickest in my case. Thank you for your help."_

The recording ended with an audible click and the call disconnected. I dialed the number again and jotted down the information. It was already almost two in the afternoon, so I quickly placed the call to Dr. Whitlock, disappointed when I reached his voicemail. I left my name and number in hopes that the good doctor would return my call and shed some light on this odd situation. At the same time, I was a bit leery of anyone surrounding this girl. I still wasn't certain that this Dr. Whitlock wasn't the one that locked her in the box to begin with.

Of course, maybe the box wasn't really a box. Maybe she meant it as a euphemism. Regardless, her statements from last night were making a lot more sense.

Itsy Bitsy…Isabella. Close enough. And I was pretty sure that Casper was Jasper. She said that Casper had what she needed and that Casper and I were the same person. This Jasper Whitlock was her doctor…a psychiatrist, just like me. And as her doctor, he would have her meds.

All of that aside, something horrible had happened to this girl. She'd been assaulted and it was my job to get her lucid enough to be able to report the crime. Pulling out my phone again, I did a quick search on Isabella Swan, looking for anything suspicious or any missing persons' reports, but came back empty-handed.

Fuck. I was just going to have to wait for Isabella to tell me herself.

~oOo~

"Good evening, Dr. Cullen." Sue smirked from behind the nurses' station. "You're a little early for your shift." The teasing tone of her voice was not lost on me. She knew I was here to see Itsy…Isabella.

"Yes, Sue, I'm early. Is my new patient awake?"

A look of irritation flashed across her face, but was quickly replaced by sympathy. "Yeah, she's awake. Dr. Hunter tried to talk with her about an hour ago, but she wouldn't speak. He was… _less than kind_."

"Dammit," I mumbled under my breath, grabbing Itsy's file from the stack that Dr. Hunter left for me. "Did you check on her?"

Sue sighed wearily. "Yeah. She asked for you, so I told her you'd be here in about an hour. She just shrugged me off. I have to say, I almost regret giving her the Haldol. She seems so…withdrawn. I miss the little dancer from last night."

I nodded and tucked her file under my arm. "Will you bring her to my office in fifteen minutes?" I picked up the remaining stack of files and balanced my steaming cup of coffee on top. "Oh, and I'm waiting on a call from a Dr. Whitlock. If he calls here, page me right away."

"Sure thing." She smiled, shooing me down the hall.

I barely made it to my office unscathed, but somehow managed to get the files to my desk without dumping scalding coffee all over myself. I plopped down into my old leather chair and opened Isabella's file, reviewing the notes from our conversation last night. I was so immersed in the words and my own inner musings that I jumped when Sue knocked on my door, spilling coffee down the front of my shirt.

"Shit," I mumbled, blotting at the spreading stain with a flimsy tissue. A soft giggle interrupted my spastic fumbling and my head shot up at the sound. Isabella stood half-hidden behind Sue, trying to conceal her grin with her hands. "Ah, sorry. Come on in and have a seat." I gestured to the couch across the room.

Sue ushered Bella to her seat and then left quietly, leaving my door partially open.

"So, Isabella," I began, amused when her head snapped up and she eyed me speculatively. "Your name is Isabella Swan, correct?"

She cleared her throat and nervously twisted her fingers together in her lap. "Yes, my name is Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella."

I sighed with relief. "Good, you're lucid. That's a very good start." She seemed uncomfortable and consistently rubbed at the plum colored bruise across her neck. "Do you remember our talk last night?"

"Yes, in blinding detail," she replied hesitantly as her cheeks flamed. "I'm so very sorry for…ah…taking off my shirt like that. I seem to lose my inhibitions during an episode." She chanced a glance up at me, but quickly averted her eyes as soon as she saw me staring intently at her. I couldn't fucking help it. She was still beautiful.

"Something happened to you, Bella-"

"I'm well aware, Dr. Cullen. It's an unfortunate consequence of my line of work." Gazing down at her lap, she opened her mouth as if to continue, but then snapped it closed again. I didn't quite understand her statement, but I was determined to get to the bottom of this.

"What line of work might that be?" I pressed, but she remained tightlipped. "You should know that I called Dr. Whitlock as per the instructions on your recording. If he had anything to do with your injuries-"

"No!" she snapped, her eyes finally meeting mine. "He didn't do this. Jasper's a good man." She shifted on the couch, turning so that she could tuck her feet up under her. "He begged me not to take this assignment, but the mother was so desperate…I couldn't say no."

I flipped to a fresh page on my notepad and fished my pen out of my coat pocket. "Assignment? I don't follow. Are you a journalist or police officer of some kind?"

With a heavy sigh, Bella shook her head, her long hair bouncing around her face. "I guess you could say I'm a detective…of sorts. Freelance."

"Like a private investigator?" I asked, completely intrigued by the beguiling woman.

"Mostly, but I'm also…a psychic."

My pen clattered to the floor as I gaped at her. "Excuse me?"

"I said, I'm a psychic-"

"That's what I thought you said." Okay, so maybe I should have given her another dose of Haldol before having this discussion. I retrieved my pen from the floor and made a note in her file of my observations.

"You don't believe me, Edward?"

I had to admit that my name falling from her lips excited me to no end. It also unnerved me a bit. "How _do_ you know my first name, Bella?" I asked, tapping my pen against my lips. "I'm fairly new to this hospital and I know Sue didn't tell you. So how is it that you came across that little piece of information?"

Her eyes narrowed a little and her head cocked to the side as if she were contemplating on whether or not to tell me the truth. After a long moment, she finally acquiesced. "Your mother told me."

For the briefest of moments, I thought I might pass out or vomit. I wasn't sure which. "What did you say?"

"I said your mother told me-"

"It was a rhetorical fucking question!" I barked. I tossed my notepad on the coffee table and ran my hand through my hair, trying desperately to calm down. "Do you know my mother, Bella?"

"No, Edward. I've never met your mother-"

I jumped up from the chair and paced around my office, running her words over and over in my head. My mother was a damn sore subject for me. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Why would you say something like that?" I spat, charging toward the couch.

Bella shrank back in fear, causing me to take pause. What the fuck was I doing? I backed away slowly, sitting heavily as the back of my knees hit the chair. I gazed at the poor frightened girl and chastised myself for ruining any trust we had built up so far. "I'm sorry, Bella. I…I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's all right," she mumbled as she unfurled herself from the ball she had tucked herself into. "Like I said, it's an unfortunate consequence of the job. I…I didn't mean to make you angry. Will you just hear me out?"

I swallowed around the painful lump in my throat and nodded stiffly.

She took a deep breath and settled back against the couch. "My name is Isabella Swan and I'm a psychic. When I was eighteen, I began to see and hear things that others couldn't."

"What kind of things?" I asked skeptically.

"Voices. More specifically, voices from photographs. The people in photos…they speak to me." She closed her eyes and bowed her head, twisting her fingers again. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth."

"Bella, I deal in crazy all day. So, you converse with dead people through photos?"

"I deal in missing persons. My objective is to find them before they get to the dead part." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, temporarily rendering me stupid. "While I can usually tell when a person is dead or alive, I've been known to make a few mistakes."

"Mistakes?"

"The living…they're fairly straightforward. They tell me about their surroundings. Addresses, jobs, neighbors…that sort of thing. But the dead," she sighed, "the dead speak in riddles. They don't know where they are or what's happened to them."

"So you've solved murders?" My voice must've held a distinct note of incredulity as Bella cut a harsh glare in my direction.

"Yes, I have. I've also found a lot of missing loved ones-"

"How many?" I asked. In my profession, you hear a lot of weird shit, but this was one of the most elaborate hallucinations I'd ever witnessed.

"Forty-two," she retorted with a huff.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Okay, Bella. I realize that this all seems very real to you, but I have to tell you how improbable this all is. I'm sorry. I thought the Haldol was helping, but obviously not enough to stop the delusions. We'll try something different this time around." Scribbling a few notes in her file, my heart sank as she sniffled quietly.

"You don't believe me?" she whimpered.

"Well…no. I'm sorry, but no-"

"You should," a voice sounded from my doorway. "She's telling the truth, doc. Bella Swan is the real deal."

I whirled around as Bella gasped in surprised, her morose disposition instantly replaced with a bright smile. "Jasper! What are you doing here?"

My eyes narrowed as I took in our visitor. I was having a damn hard time believing that the man crowding my doorway was Bella's psychiatrist. He was overly tan with shaggy blond hair and blue eyes. The dark circles under his eyes and rumpled clothes led me to believe that he'd been travelling all day to get here. While his southern drawl and easy smile made him personable enough, I still didn't trust him.

"I'm here to spring you, sweetcheeks," he drawled with a sly wink. Stepping into the room, he headed straight for me first with his hand out stretched, giving mine a firm shake as he introduced himself. "Name's Jasper Whitlock. Thanks for calling me. I've been searching for this little tart for damn near two weeks."

I cleared my throat and waited patiently while he waltzed over to Bella and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her clear off her feet. "Dammit, girl, you gave me a fright."

She giggled and hugged him back. "Jasper, put me down!"

He acquiesced to her demand and set her gingerly back on her feet, his eyes darkening as he inspected the gash on her forehead and the bruises on her neck. "I told you this one was trouble, sugar."

"Fuck…I know, I know." She sighed and sat back down on the couch with her head in her hands. "Did you at least get the file I e-mailed before I went completely batshit crazy?"

"Sure did, darlin', and you'll be happy to know that Meghan's been returned to her mother and that piece of shit is behind bars." I watched, perplexed, as he sat down next to her on the couch and took her hand in his. "You know you're going to have to testify in this one, right? Whatever he did to you, Bella-"

"Won't be able to be proven or disproven given my mental state, Jasper!" she finished heatedly as her eyes flashed with anger. "We've been through this."

As I watched both of them argue back and forth, I finally reached my limit. "Excuse me! Would somebody mind filling me in here? Just who the fuck are you people and what the hell is going on?"

Jasper chuckled at my outburst and squeezed Bella's hand. "Ah, hells bells, doc. Keep your pants on…we're getting to it. It's a long fucking story and you won't believe half of it."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, as promised, here is the next chapter. Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and review/fav/follow. I am positively overwhelmed by your response to my crazy little Bella. There's a lot to this story, so I hope you're all on board for the ride.**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

EPOV

If I hadn't verified Dr. Whitlock's credentials myself, I would swear the man was just as delusional as Bella. In this day and age anything can be faked, but if he was conning me, then it was the most elaborate scheme I'd ever seen. I'd checked him out this morning after gleaning his name from Bella's recording and, while Dr. Whitlock was no longer practicing at any institution, he was highly regarded by his past employers and the references I pulled were exemplary. On paper, he was the poster boy of the psychiatry profession.

At least, up until three years ago. For some unknown reason, the good doctor quit his lucrative job out of the blue and dropped off the grid. He'd since kept his medical license up to date and would contact colleagues every so often, but for the most part he was a ghost. There was a rumor circulating around the psychiatric community back in Arizona that he'd married a gypsy and was travelling the country in a caravan. Given the appearance of the man sitting before me, I wasn't altogether sure that rumor didn't hold some facet of truth to it.

The man in question stared at me with an amused expression, gripping Bella's hands tightly in his own. "So, doc, if you'll just cop a squat, I'd be happy to answer whatever questions you have. I'm sure you've got sweet pea here on a seventy-two hour psyche hold, so I've got nothing but time at this point."

I plopped down into the wingback chair, watching them both intently. I began to wonder if Bella was Dr. Whitlock's wife, but their interaction seemed more familial than romantic. She had stated in the recording that her last name was Swan, not Whitlock, although many women nowadays kept their maiden names. He also wore a wedding band while she did not. Bella did fit the bill for a gypsy, though. I simply couldn't get the image of her twirling in the hallway out of my head.

Dr. Whitlock caught me staring at their intertwined hands and let out a hearty laugh. "Aw shucks, doc. You've got nothing to worry about. Sweetcheeks and me…well…we go back a ways, but I've always just looked out for her. I've got my own southern belle at home. Well, I say she's at home, but I'd be surprised if she's not making her way here right this very minute."

Bella gasped and slapped his shoulder. "Jasper! She shouldn't be coming here! For God's sake, she's due in two weeks-"

With a deep chuckle, he clasped his hand over her mouth to stop her tirade. "And just what makes you think I have any say over what she does, hmm? You and her…two peas in a damn pod." He released Bella and settled back into the couch with one arm draped lazily around Bella's shoulders. "See, doc...southern girls got a sharp tongue and a mean streak a mile long-"

Bella rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm from Oregon, you dolt."

"Makes no difference, babycakes. You've been around my sweetness for far too long to be considered anything but southern." He cleared his throat and turned his attention back toward me. "So, as I was saying, when a southern girl gets an idea in her head, it's best just to step aside and let her have her way. No need in trying to change her mind. Wars have been waged and won with less effort."

Bella giggled softly, a sound reminiscent of the twirling girl from last night. "Oh, God…I'm so telling her you said that."

A soft knock on my door interrupted my train of thought as Sue stuck her head in. "Dr. Cullen, you have an emergency phone call from Alice on line two. She wouldn't give her last name, but said you would know what it's regarding."

"Sue, I don't know any Alice-"

Dr. Whitlock jumped up from the couch and dug down into his jeans pocket, retrieving his cell phone. "Aw, shit on a swizzle stick. Phone's dead and I'm in a heap of trouble. Doc, you should probably take that call."

A little irritated and a whole lot confused, I decided to placate the southern doctor. "I'll take it, Sue. Line two?" She nodded and shut the door behind her as I made my way to my desk. I stared at the blinking light on my phone, an ominous feeling taking hold as my hand hovered over the receiver.

"It's not a snake, doc. Go ahead…" Dr. Whitlock shoved both hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, looking everywhere but at me.

"Dr. Whitlock-"

"Jasper…just Jasper. And I suggest you don't keep her on hold much longer. Like I said, mean streak a mile long."

I grasped the phone and held the receiver to my ear, pressing the little blinking light. "Dr. Cullen speaking."

 _"_ _Sure took you long enough, sugar. Don't suppose my husband had anything to do with that, huh?"_

"I'm sorry, who is this?" Frustration gnawed at me as my anger rose.

 _"_ _Well now, you're sure to be a spitfire. Name's Alice Whitlock. I do believe my husband is there is there in your office twiddling his thumbs. Would you be so kind as to put him on the phone? I'd like to have a word with my sugarpuss."_

I almost laughed out loud at her seething politeness. Her voice dripped sarcasm and disdain while still maintaining an edge of cordiality. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of whatever tongue lashing was about to be dealt.

"Of course, Mrs. Whitlock-"

 _"_ _It's just Alice, dear. We'll be family soon enough. No need for such formalities."_

"Alright…Alice. Just a moment." I covered the receiver with the palm of my hand and motioned toward Jasper with a quirked eyebrow.

"Ah, hell," he muttered, ambling toward my desk. Bella giggled from her seat on the couch while Jasper took the phone from my hand, holding it to his ear with a grimace. "Alright, sugarplum, just settle your britches-"

I could hear Alice's screeching voice over the phone, even from several feet away. While the poor man gave it a valiant effort, Jasper just couldn't seem to get a word in edgewise.

"No, that's…yes, I did hear…but, I just…wait…you did no such…Mary Alice Whitlock!" He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it for a moment with an unbelieving look on his face. "She hung up on me."

Bella burst into full on belly laughs, toppling over sideways on the couch while clutching her stomach. Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes while she gasped for breath. I glanced back and forth between Bella and Jasper, trying to figure out at what point I had joined the circus.

"Excuse me, but could we please get back to the matter at hand?" I asked heatedly.

"Sure thing, doc. My apologies." Jasper dropped the receiver back onto its cradle and made his way back over to the couch. He shoved Bella back up into an upright position and plopped down next to her. "Well, as I'm sure you already know, that pleasant creature on the phone was my little hellcat, Alice. She is, indeed, on her way here. Her brother is driving her up since she can't fly right now." Jasper reached down and pinched Bella's leg playfully. "As this little tart pointed out, my wife is due in two weeks, so she's been forbidden to set foot on an airplane."

"Due in two weeks? As in having a baby?" I asked.

"Yes sir," Jasper drawled with a beaming smile. "Two little pixies, to be precise. Now, with the drive time and the fifty or so bathroom breaks, I figure she'll be here just in time for little bit's psyche hold to expire."

"Don't think for a moment that wasn't planned," Bella huffed. "You should have stopped her Jasper. She shouldn't be travelling so close to her due date. She's having twins for fuck's sake. Everybody knows twins come early."

Jasper stared at her through squinted eyes. "Trust me, she wouldn't be travelling if she was worried about those two making an early appearance. Besides, she says we're settling in these parts for the unforeseeable future."

Bella seemed surprised by that statement. "Really? What on earth for?"

"Now you and I both know I surrendered my ability to ask 'why' a long time ago," Jasper snickered.

She rolled her eyes at Jasper and scoffed. "Yes, if memory serves, it was the same day you handed over your balls to the mini-dictator."

Jasper gasped, feigning hurt, but recovered quickly by pinching her arm. "May I remind you, buttercup, that the status of my balls is not polite conversation in current company? Now, if you please, let's get to the good doctor's questions. Give the poor bumblebee a little honey, will you?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, eliciting a crimson blush from Bella.

During my life, I'd made a few trips to the south, but I'd never heard anyone speak in such riddles. It was like they had their own secret language. "Bumblebee?" I asked. "Who's the bumblebee?"

Jasper grinned his bright smile. "Why you are, doc. You're vibrating so hard in your seat, you're practically buzzing."

I chuckled at his logic. "Okay, so maybe I do have a question or twenty. What exactly is your relationship to Bella?"

Jasper sighed and pulled his ankle up across his opposite knee, giving Bella a cursory glance. "Hmm…so, history first. I guess you could say I'm her psychiatrist, but I prefer the term friend. I was working at a psychiatric hospital in Scottsdale about six years ago when brown eyes was brought in, ranting about spider armies and talking pictures. She would only identify herself as Itsy Bitsy."

"Itsy Bitsy?" I chuckled. "Apparently she still goes by that name."

"She always does, but there's a reason behind it. We'll get to that. Anyway, I diagnosed her Schizophrenia pretty quickly and began her on Haldol. Within a few days, the hallucinations stopped and she seemed more lucid."

"Seemed? You couldn't tell by talking to her whether or not she was back to a functioning state?"

Jasper snorted in amusement. "Ah hell doc, I'm sure I could've if she would have talked to me. Fact is, the little tart zipped those pretty lips and wouldn't say a damn word. After a few weeks, I noticed some adverse side effects to the Haldol, so I changed her over to Zyprexa at a lower dosage-"

"And the shit hit the fan," Bella laughed. "I don't think I've ever seen a grown man so scared of a little girl."

Jasper cut her a quick glare. "Hush, you. I had good reason to be scared. You bit me."

I barked out a laugh. "Jasper, that's not exactly abnormal behavior for a patient during a psychotic episode."

"Oh, I agree wholeheartedly!" he replied. "But she wasn't experiencing an episode. She was completely lucid."

I quirked an eyebrow in Bella's direction, waiting patiently for an explanation while she fidgeted under my gaze. "Hmm...you don't seem the hostile type, Bella. Lucid or not."

She bit her lip and shrugged one shoulder. "I…I was afraid. The new drugs made me feel…different. I wasn't having hallucinations or anything, but I didn't feel right. I thought I was slipping-"

"You thought the medicine wasn't working anymore. That you'd slip back into that other reality." I scribbled a few notes while watching her expressions morph from fear to confusion before settling on relief. "It's a completely rational reaction, Bella."

Jasper squeezed her shoulder in a gesture of reassurance. "That's what I've told her, doc, but she still carries around that steaming pile of guilt for the way our first few weeks went down. She calls it a setback whereas I think of it as a breakthrough. She started talking after that."

"Did you contact her family?"

"I don't have a family," Bella sighed, turning her eyes away from me. "I had already aged out of the foster system and was supporting myself by the time I met Jasper, so there wasn't anyone to call. I mean, my story's not tragic or anything. Mom and dad were drug addicts. One little mishap with a kitchen fire when I was two led to my long running acquaintance with the great foster care system of Oregon. I…I don't remember them. My parents, I mean. The last foster family I was with was pretty nice. They moved to Arizona when I was seventeen and, since I was so close to aging out of the system, Social Services let me move with them instead of placing me somewhere else."

I got tired of trying to do the math in my head and finally settled on just asking the fucking question. "Bella, if you were first admitted six years ago, but you had already aged out of the foster care system, just exactly how old are you?"

Jasper winked at Bella before answering for her. "Sweet pea will be twenty five in November, a true Scorpio if I've ever seen one. As you well know, doc, Schizophrenia symptoms often don't present until late adolescence. Sometimes even later for women. Bella had her first episode about six months after her eighteenth birthday. She was working the late shift as a waitress at this piss poor diner when she experienced her first hallucination-"

"Let me guess…spiders," I interjected, finally putting some of the pieces together.

Jasper grinned and said, "You got it!"

"The spiders always come first," Bella explained as she nervously twisted her fingers in her lap. "Like a precursor of sorts. A warning…that I'm about to lose my shit."

I had to chuckle at her turn of phrase. "Is that what you call having an episode? Losing your shit?"

"Wouldn't you?" she huffed. "You don't have to be so clinical, you know. You're not going to hurt my feelings. I've been hanging around the cowboy here for too long. I probably know more about my particular disorder than you do at this point."

This woman intrigued me to no end. I should've been insulted, but I was too damn turned on to care. "Okay, Bella, why don't you enlighten me?"

She cocked her head to the side and eyed me inquisitively, dragging her tongue along her lower lip. "Well, Dr. Cullen, that first _episode_ was a doozy. As Jasper said, I was working the closing shift at this little hole in the wall diner. I'd only been working there for about four months." Her eyes became vacant and glassy as she lost immersed herself in the memory."I was wiping off a table when a spider climbed out of the salt shaker. I remember jumping back in surprise, but since I was never one to be squeamish, I grabbed a napkin and squashed the little fucker. But then another one crawled out from behind the napkin holder. Then another…and another. They covered the table and the floor. Not scattering in all directions like normal spiders would, but advancing on me…almost like they had a purpose. Chased me right out of that fucking diner."

"What did you do?" I asked, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees.

She laughed. "Oh! I ran straight home and barricaded myself inside my apartment, of course. Shoved towels under the doors and washcloths in all the drains…the whole bit. I even armed myself with a can of hairspray and a lighter. I'll admit, the idea of an advanced race of spiders taking over the world even crossed my mind."

I chuckled at the colorful picture she painted with her words. Hell, I probably would've done the exact same thing. "And despite your best attempts at fortifying you apartment, the spiders still found a way in, right?"

"Actually, no. Like I said, the spiders are a precursor. They make an initial appearance, but don't stick around. I stayed holed up for three days in my apartment, waiting to be overrun by an invasion of the eight-legged variety, but it never happened. So I chalked it up to a twilight zone experience and went back to life as usual."

Stunned by her account of events, I sat slack jawed, simply absorbing the words while my mind tried to come up with a more rational explanation. Climate change, global warming, arachnid migration patterns…anything that could explain such an odd conglomeration of spiders. None of my theories seemed any more plausible than her twilight zone theory. "Maybe it was just an odd random occurrence. I mean, episodes don't just start and then stop without medical intervention. Your disorder doesn't work that way."

Bella's eyes blazed and she opened her mouth to respond, but Jasper held his hand out to stop what was sure have been a very sharp retort.

"We're not saying the episode stopped, doc," Jasper stated calmly. "On the contrary, it got worse…much worse." With a sweep of his hand, he gestured for Bella to continue.

"As I was saying, after several days of nothing out of the ordinary, I returned to work. That's when things got a little…wonky." Bella began to fidget nervously, eliciting a comforting squeeze from Jasper. "See, the diner was owned by this really sweet lady named Rachel. She was in her late forties and had worked in the diner from the time she was fifteen. She inherited the place when her mother died twenty some odd years ago. It'd been in her family for several generations. Rachel was pretty sentimental so she hung lots of old family photos throughout the diner."

Jasper cleared his throat and gave Bella a disbelieving glance. "Tell it right, Bella. There were picture frames covering every square inch of every wall. Hell, it would have driven anyone loony."

I shook my head as Bella glared at Jasper, their silent exchange a heated one. "Uh, I'm not sure I follow."

Bella sighed and redirected her attention toward me. "Well, Dr. Cullen, every single one of those photographs hanging on the wall began screaming at me."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your interest in my little story. I appreciate each and every review, fav, and follow. So, we're going to get a little more back story on Bella here. Hope you enjoy.**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

EPOV

"Bella, I'm sure that Jasper explained to you that auditory hallucinations are very common with schizophrenia-"

Bella scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Dr. Cullen, I'm well educated on the various symptoms of my disorder. It wasn't just an auditory hallucination, though. The photos…those people," she sighed, "they moved. They turned their heads and glared at me. They stopped whatever action they were performing in the picture, turned straight to look at me, and started yelling. One cheeky bastard even stuck his tongue out at me."

Jasper barked out a laugh. "Oh, God…I'd forgotten that part. You…you were so freaked out by that one guy. He's practically all you talked about for the first hour after you were brought in to me!" Bella shoved him as he continued to chuckle at her expense. "Wh-what was his name?"

She dropped her head in her hands and groaned while Jasper giggled like a school girl. "Clement… Clement DeBlanc, but the _ladies_ called him Clem. He was so…crass." Her eyes were bright as she glanced back up at me, laughing at what must have been an amusing encounter in the midst of a frightening situation.

The vast majority of hallucinatory patients I'd come across all said the same thing; the hallucinations were often so vivid, it was impossible to discern what was real. When patients thought back to this time, they often saw it as a real memory, not something conjured up by their own mind. My mother had been the same way. She wouldn't go off her meds often, but when she did, she'd have what my dad called 'visitors'. She'd sit in our living room and hold court as if she were Queen Elizabeth, herself.

"So, you ultimately found your way into Jasper's care?" I asked, eyeing them both.

"Well, that's a polite way of putting it, doc," Jasper chortled. "Dragged in kicking and screaming is more like it. She scared poor Rachel to death with her little rant, but Rachel's a good woman. She called an ambulance and tried to keep Bella calm until they came. The hospital ran a tox screen and a CT scan to rule out drugs or a severe knock to the noggin. As soon as she cleared both, the hospital gave me a call."

I scribbled furiously across the page, jotting down notes and possible therapy options. "Bella, given the condition you were in when you were brought in here last night, I'm inclined to believe that your current medication is no longer working. We can try a different course of treatment-"

"You don't get it, doc," Jasper interjected. He leaned forward and watched me intently, all previous playfulness gone. "Bella's medication didn't stop working. _She quit taking it_."

I almost snapped my pen in half. I'd always had a hard time understanding how patients could just suddenly decide to stop taking their medication. One of my patients tried to explain it to me once. She said she had felt an overwhelming sense of rightness once the drugs began to leave her system, like she could finally think straight for the first time and every decision seemed absolute and infallible. I struggled with decisions every day, constantly questioning every conscious choice. So, that type of unequivocal self-assurance was completely alien to me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head in disbelief. "Why would you do that, Bella? Why would you stop taking a medicine that's helping you?"

Her eyes widened a bit at my biting tone, before narrowing into thin slits as she glared at me. "I don't expect you to understand my choices, Dr. Cullen. Especially when you don't know the whole story. But I do ask that you keep an open mind. I'm not your typical psychiatric patient."

Of that, I was absolutely certain.

Before we could delve any further into Bella's medical history, we were interrupted by a sharp knock on my office door. Sue stuck her head inside and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Dr. Cullen, but it's ten o'clock. Time for lights out. I need to give Bella her medication and take her back to her room."

I quickly looked down at my watch and couldn't help but wonder where the time had gone. I cast a scowl back in Sue's direction. "Fine, Sue. Just…give me a minute."

Since tomorrow was my only day off, I asked Jasper to meet me for an early dinner. He'd been up for well over twenty four hours, so he was more than willing to adhere to the odd hours I was used to keeping. We agreed to meet for at a small restaurant near my home to talk a bit more about Bella. Jasper had to cajole, threaten, and finally beg for Bella's permission to discuss more of her medical history with me without her present, and even then there were some things she forbade him to talk about.

Jasper acquiesced to her request and Bella was sent back to her room for the evening, but not before leaving me with a cheeky grin and a wink. I blushed tomato red at her overt flirtation and ran my hand nervously through my hair, trying to tramp down the lust that raged through my veins. Jasper merely chuckled at our awkward exchange before saying his goodbyes.

That night, my dreams were filled with a giggling, doe-eyed Bella. No riddles. No secret messages. Just her. On me…under me. Tantalizing flesh so responsive to my every caress. Sweet kisses and biting licks. A need like I'd never felt before swelled up from within me. I wanted to devour this woman. The pleasure was so fucking intense, I shuddered in ecstasy as my dream began to fade.

With a groan, I sat up in bed and sighed as I took in the sticky mess on my stomach. I hadn't had a wet dream since I was sixteen. Chastising myself, I hardened my resolve to stop thinking about Bella this way. She was my fucking patient. Well, technically Jasper's patient, but she was still officially under my care for the next thirty six hours.

I showered and dressed on autopilot, absently making my way to the restaurant to meet Jasper. I had to get a handle on this overwhelming infatuation with Bella. It was completely nonsensical as I'd only just met the woman, but my protectiveness knew no bounds. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn't even notice the waitress asking for my drink order.

"Shit, I'm sorry," I mumbled after her third request. "I was a million miles away."

"No worries," she replied. "So what to drink?"

"Coffee, black." She smiled and scurried away, returning a moment later to place a steaming cup of coffee on the table next to me. I inhaled the intense aroma, letting it help clear the fog from my brain. I pulled out my notepad and began reviewing the notes from my discussion with Bella yesterday, still turning over her recounting of events in my head. I just couldn't understand what would prompt Bella to stop taking her medication. She seemed like such a level headed girl while on her meds. I was obviously still missing some part of her back story. I closed my eyes for a moment, replaying the two versions of Bella I'd met. Untreated, she was childlike and innocent, but fully medicated she was hard and reserved. I hoped that I could find a happy medium between the two, but for that I needed answers.

"No sense in trying to figure out the puzzle before you even have all the damn clues."

My eyes snapped open at the sudden intrusion, my wrist knocking into my coffee mug and sending the steaming contents directly into my lap. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I hissed, falling out of the booth in my haste. I stood up and wiped at the spreading wet patch over my crotch with a napkin.

"Do you wear your coffee every day, doc?" Jasper chuckled, watching me intently with an amused smirk on his face.

"Jesus, Dr. Whitlock-"

"Crap on a cracker, doc. I asked you to call me Jasper. If Alice gets here and you're still going on with this Dr. Whitlock horseshit, she'll have my balls in a mason jar. So, please…for the sake of my unborn children. Call me Jasper."

Despite my irritation at my newly scorched crotch, I mopped up the puddle of coffee and slid back into the bench seat, motioning for Jasper to take a seat across from me.

Jasper slid into the booth and motioned for the waitress. "I'm so thirsty, I'm spitting cotton. Sorry about the mishap by the way," he said, gesturing toward my empty coffee cup.

"It's okay," I replied, trying to hide the discomfort in my voice. "You just caught me by surprise is all."

Our waitress appeared and quickly took our orders, her eyes lingering a little too long on the cowboy sitting across from me. She returned a moment later with a black coffee for him and another for me.

"Thank you, sugar," he drawled, tossing a casual wink at her, causing her to blush and stutter before heading back to the kitchen. With a chuckle, Jasper pulled a leather satchel off the floor and set it on the table next to him. "So, ask your questions, doc, before you combust."

I sighed and tapped my fingers against the tabletop, trying to focus my thoughts before launching into my questions. "Bella purposefully stops taking her medication?"

"Yep," he replied without elaboration.

"And it's not the first time, correct?"

"Right again, doc."

"Why?" I asked, completely perplexed. "I want to know why she feels the need to stop her medication and why you obviously condone it."

He blew out a long breath and leaned back, lacing his hands behind his head. "Alright, doc. I'll lay it all out on the table. Alice will tan my hide for sure, but if what she says is true, then it won't matter in the long run." He stared at me for a long moment, as if searching for something. "Before I get into it, I want to ask you a question. You care about Bella?"

"Of course I care about Bella. She's my patient-"

"Ah, cut the bullshit, doc. You know what I mean."

For a split second, I wondered about whether or not to answer, but my heart won out over my head. "Yes," I replied truthfully, "more than I should. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Hmm, let's just say I've seen that puppy dog look before." He took a sip of his coffee while studying me intently, hissing through his teeth as the scalding liquid hit his tongue. After taking a moment to compose himself, he launched into his explanation "Bella's case is complicated. If I hadn't been privy to events from the very beginning, I'm not sure I'd believe it all myself. I've been working exclusively with Bella for a little over three years. Her gift is extraordinary, but we have to keep her dosage in line." The confusion must've been evident on my face. "You see, Bella's gift is triggered by her schizophrenia."

I shook my head in disbelief. "Wait, so you're saying that she can only hear the voices if she's off her meds. So, it's a self-reinforcing delusion?"

"Hardly," he scoffed, holding up his hand to stop my line of thinking. "There is nothing delusional about what Bella hears from those photos."

Sighing in exasperation, I rubbed my temples. "Jasper, you were her treating physician. Well, still are, technically. What made you suspect these voices were anything other than hallucinations?"

He grinned and shrugged his shoulders, before replying. "Rachel."

"The owner of the diner Bella worked at? The one who called an ambulance for her?"

"Yes sir, that's the one." He chuckled and took another drink of his coffee. "She'd managed to hunt me down a few weeks into Bella's treatment. Old girl had some connections at the hospital that were more than happy to help. I imagine she coaxed some with her peach cobbler, but I still can't get her to pony up to that one. Regardless, when she found me, she certainly had some interesting things to say."

Jasper opened the leather satchel and pulled out a thick three-ring binder, flipping it open to the first page and turning the book to face me. I stared down at an old photograph of an elderly man sitting on the front porch of a small, rundown house and staring out at the river just barely discernible in the distance. While grainy, I could still make out the wrinkles that creased his dark skin and ran deep around his eyes and mouth.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"This is Rachel's great great uncle, Henry Moreau. She brought me this picture along with a heap of others and begged to see Bella. Said there were things I ought to know. I took her out for coffee and tried to explain that Bella was being held for treatment. I told her that Bella'd had a psychotic episode and that whatever she'd said that night was all just something conjured from her mind."

"Did she believe you?"

"Nope, not a lick. She started in on me about not seeing the forest for the trees. See, Rachel's descendants can be traced all the way back to Haiti. In the early 1800's, several of her relatives were brought over to New Orleans to work the land. Their beliefs were deep rooted in the Vodou religion. Rachel's no different. While she's not an active participant, she was still raised with those beliefs and convictions."

"Vodou? What could that possibly have to do with Bella?"

"Well, while Rachel waited with Bella for the ambulance to arrive, Bella was busy carrying on a conversation with dear old Uncle Henry, here. The voices…they'd all gotten to be a bit much," he tapped his index finger against the photo, "but, for some reason, this one…he got her attention. Calmed her down a bit."

I downed the rest of my coffee and motioned for the waitress to bring another, waiting patiently for Jasper to continue. He pulled the photo from its cardboard holder and flipped it over, where the name of the man in question was scrawled in a fading cursive script.

"His name's on the photo, Jasper. Maybe Bella saw it. Or maybe Rachel talked about him in passing-"

Jasper chuckled and shook his head. "I said the exact same thing, but Rachel shut me down pretty damn quick." He reached into the satchel and pulled out an old leather bound book, the pages yellowed and worn. Opening it to a dog eared page near the middle, he pointed to an underlined section. "The Haitians have some strongly held beliefs about the dead. It's thought that departing souls tie themselves to physical objects. While I don't think that's necessarily the case here, some part of Bella's conversation with Henry must have resonated with Rachel. After Bella was taken away, Rachel began her research."

"What kind of research?"

He shrugged and took another sip of his coffee. "Her family tree. Rachel's grandmother often spoke kindly of Uncle Henry, but the rest of these photos have been in her family for generations. So, she didn't actually know who everyone was in them. When it came to Bella's ramblings, Rachel had a hunch and she followed it. Just so happened, she turned out to be at least partially right."

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, tugging at the ends in frustration. "I just don't understand, Jasper. We're psychiatrists. You and I both know that psychosis is the result of a chemical imbalance in the brain. There's nothing spiritual or supernatural about Bella's disorder." I stared at him incredulously. "How can you be so good at your profession, but still believe in all this hocus pocus? Vodou, Jasper? Really?"

"Ah hell, doc. Don't you go thinking I wasn't as confused as a fart in a perfume factory. You said so, yourself. I'm damn good at what I do. With Bella, all of my medical training pointed to a classic schizophrenic disorder. But after speaking at length with Rachel…well, even you have to admit there are just some things science can't explain."

His words bore down on me with an oppressive weight. My mother's disappearance over a decade ago had robbed me of what little faith I might've had left. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I'm just not sure I can believe this without some concrete evidence."

Jasper grinned. "Shucks, doc, I didn't expect you to just take me at me word. You wouldn't be much of a doctor if you did." He rooted through his leather satchel again, producing yet another thick book. This one was more of a journal, bulging at the seams with Post It notes and newspaper clippings. My curiosity was definitely piqued, but Jasper kept the book closed with his forearm draped over the cover.

"So, what was your turning point? What convinced you?" I asked.

"You make it sound like I flipped a switch. That couldn't be further from the truth." He sighed and opened the book in front of him. The first page was a photocopy of Bella's medical chart from when she was first admitted under Jasper's care. He glanced momentarily at the scrawling script on the page before continuing. "I tried to discuss it with Bella, but she was…reluctant. It wasn't until I presented her with Rachel's photos and ancestry that she began to question my initial diagnosis. I guess you could say we conducted our own little experiment. Together, Bella and I tested the information she'd learned from the photographs against the official records from Rachel's genealogy report. A huge part of me was hoping that Bella had got it wrong. Like you, I wanted to discredit the supernatural. But it was me that ended up with egg on my face. The results were _astoundingly_ accurate."

I took a moment to process his words, feeling at war with my inner skeptic. On one hand, I wanted to believe that Jasper was telling the truth, but on the other hand I couldn't help but worry that he was finding patterns where none existed. I needed more proof.

"I see the battle raging, doc," he chuckled. "You don't have to make up your mind today. Like Bella said, we just want you to keep an open mind. There's still a lot that you don't know."

With a heavy sigh, I pinched the bridge of my nose and tramped down that cynical fucker inside my head. "Alright, I'm all ears."

Jasper smiled brightly and nodded. "Alice'll be happier than a pig in shit. She thought for sure she'd have her work cut out for her once she got here. I told her I'd give it my best shot, though. Truth be told, I don't understand Bella's gift near as well as my little Alice."

"I promised to keep an open mind and I will. I care about Bella far too much not to try to understand." My eyes bored into his as I tried to convey the sincerity of my words. "So, after your little experiment, then what happened?"

He hesitated for a moment, eyeing me warily before answering. "I took her off her meds."

"You? I thought _Bella_ stopped the treatment."

At the harsh tone of my voice, he had the decency to at least look slightly abashed; a complete contradiction to the confident man that had strode through my office door the day before. "She did…at my recommendation."

"Fuck, Jasper...we took an oath to do no harm-"

Before I could really lay into him, his cellphone began ringing from the pocket of his satchel. He snatched it from its confines and held up one finger in the air, motioning for me to wait one second as he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Alice, what's wrong?" he barked without hesitation. I could hear Alice's frantic voice on the other end and watched helplessly as all of the color drained from Jasper's face. "You're sure?"

I silently prayed that everything was alright with Alice. Bella was right when she'd said Alice was too close to her due date to be travelling this far. I'd hate for anything to happen to her or the babies. Not only would Jasper and Bella be devastated, but I had to admit I was looking forward to meeting the little hell cat.

My own cell phone vibrated across the table as Sue's name flashed across the screen. Alarmed, I grabbed it up and pressed the green button. "Sue? Why are you calling from your cell phone? What's wrong?"

 _"_ _Dr. Cullen? I need you back at the hospital. It's Bella."_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your interest in my little story. I appreciate each and every review, fav, and follow. I'm sorry for the lack of updates to my stories for the past six weeks. Real life has been a real bitch lately, but things seem to be easing up.**

 **I wanted to take a moment to thank the folks who voted Just This Side of Crazy into the Top Favorite Fic Dive Stories for the month of October over at ADF. It means the world to me. You guys are awesome! On another note, I was ecstatic to find out that my story, Elastic Heart, had been nominated in the 2015 TwiFic Fandom Awards. I didn't make it to Round Two voting, but it was still an honor just to be nominated.**

 **I am continually blown away by your continued support.**

 **So, onward. Who's ready to meet Alice?**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

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EPOV

Sue's cryptic plea sent me into a tailspin and before I could register what had happened, Jasper and I were piling into my car and speeding down the highway toward the hospital. I pressed the accelerator to the floor, pushing my car faster than I ever had before. My heart hammered in my chest as I blew through several yellow lights and narrowly avoided a collision with a garbage truck.

Jasper remained silent on the ride over, gripping the door frame until his knuckles turned white. I expected at least a curse or two about my reckless driving, but if he was concerned, he never said a word. I whipped into the parking garage and came to a screeching halt in the nearest parking space, the harsh sound reverberating off the concrete walls as the smell of burnt rubber permeated the air.

I rushed through the garage entrance with Jasper hot on my heels. We navigated through the labyrinth of back hallways, my heart beating wildly with each step. My shoes squeaked on the linoleum as I raced toward the nurse's station, but Jasper's firm grip pulled me to a stop. "What the hell-"

Jasper pressed his finger to his lips and jerked his head to the side, motioning toward the adjacent hallway where Sue stood just out of sight of the front desk. Her wide eyes shifted in all directions, as if waiting for someone to unexpectedly appear, before finally gesturing toward my office. I was extremely concerned with her odd behavior, but opted to take her silent instruction and pulled Jasper down the hallway after her.

Once my office door was closed behind us, I let out the breath I'd been holding. "Sue, what the hell is going on? What happened with Bella and why are we in here and not with her?"

Sue held up her hands in resignation. "Please calm down, Dr. Cullen. Bella's fine right now. She's been sedated-"

"What happened?" Jasper spat through gritted teeth.

"I wasn't in the room, so I only know bits and pieces," Sue explained, twisting her fingers in a nervous gesture. "Dr. Hunter was making rounds this afternoon with Nurse Stanley. Bella wasn't on his list as she's not technically his patient, so I'm not sure what prompted him to stop in and check on her."

"Why would Malcolm make an unscheduled bed check? That doesn't make any sense," I countered, shaking my head. "He's a stickler for policy."

"Malcolm?" Jasper asked, clearly confused by the name.

"Dr. Hunter. He's been here for almost fifteen years and normally handles all of the new admissions. He also knows the damn rule book frontwards and backwards. I've never seen him step so much as a toe out of line." I sighed and wracked my brain for any reason why he would suddenly decide to break protocol, but came up empty. "Sue, are you sure there was nothing that prompted the bed check?"

"No, nothing," she replied. "Up until that point I hadn't heard a peep out of Bella all evening. She doesn't speak with anyone but you."

Jasper's normally calm disposition seemed to be slipping as he chewed on his lip. "So this Dr. Hunter and Nurse Stanley went in to check on Bella. Then what?"

Sue took a deep breath before continuing. "Jessica…uh, Nurse Stanley… she left the room a few minutes later and headed toward the medicine locker, but before she could return there was a loud commotion from Bella's room. Dr. Hunter stumbled out, yelling for security. He seemed dazed. His lip was split and he was holding his wrist close to his chest." She paused for a moment and gazed at me remorsefully. "He's alleging that Bella attacked him once Jessica stepped out of the room."

"That's complete horseshit!" Jasper shouted, causing Sue to cringe back away from him. Seeing her startled expression, Jasper closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. "My apologies, Sue. It's just that this isn't Bella's first rodeo. She isn't violent and would never strike someone unprovoked."

Sue relaxed a bit at his apology, but still regarded him cautiously. "Be that as it may, Dr. Hunter did sustain injury. The only one that can tell us what went on in that room besides him is Bella."

Fuck, this was serious. An attack on a doctor was never received well. While violent outbursts were often considered par for the course, it also meant additional safety measures had to be put into play.

Restraints. Isolation. Sedation.

Bella's psych hold was originally for seventy-two hours, but Dr. Hunter could petition the court for a further fourteen-day hold given the current circumstances.

Jasper turned and began to pace the room, gnawing on his thumbnail in between curses and mutterings. "Shit fire, this complicates things!" After damn near wearing a hole in the carpet, he finally plopped down onto my sofa and hung his head. "I don't want to do this, Edward, but I have to take Bella out of here. Alice will have my ass for sure, but I can't leave Bella in here any longer. It's too dangerous for her."

I was startled by his declaration, but managed to maintain my calm façade despite the panic rising up in my gut. "You want me to release her to you in her current condition?"

"Yes sir, I do," he affirmed, before looking in Sue's direction. "Miss Sue, if it's not too much of an imposition, would you be so kind as to gather the necessary paperwork to have Bella transferred to my care?"

Sue breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, turning for the door. As soon as it had closed behind her, I lost all composure. "What the fuck is going on, Jasper? And no more goddamned riddles! I want answers! You said Bella's in danger here. Why?"

Jasper sighed reluctantly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bella saw something the night she was brought in. Now, I don't have all of the details, so don't ask. She only briefly mentioned it yesterday before she was escorted back to her room. I asked her to keep quiet for the time being until I could talk with Alice. Even Alice agreed that the timing wasn't right, but does Bella listen? No, 'course not."

"I don't understand-"

"I know you don't, doc, and I'm real sorry about that, but I can't discuss it here." Jasper looked down at his phone and squeezed his eyes shut before pressing a button and holding the cell phone to his ear. He was silent for a long beat and then cursed quietly under his breath. "Damn it, Alice. The shit's hit the fucking fan and I sure could use some words of wisdom here. Now, I don't know why you're not answering your damn phone, but I need you to call me back. It's worse than you thought and I'm having Bella released to my care, but I don't know where to go. We're not set up for long term yet-"

"I've got a place," I murmured. "I mean…I've got a guest house. You can all stay there until we figure this out." Logically, I knew I should just let Bella go. Jasper could sign her out and take her back to Arizona where she'd be safe. My head knew this, but my heart refused to accept it and squeezed painfully at the thought of Bella being gone. "You say that she's not safe here, but she's safe with me. I…I'd like to see this through."

Jasper stared at me, stunned and slack jawed. It took a moment before he regained his composure and, with a quiet chuckle under his breath, turned his attention back to his call. "Touché, darlin'," Jasper whispered into the phone. "We'll be staying with the good doctor. I'll text you the address." He disconnected the call and watched me inquisitively, like he was waiting for me to say something.

"What?" I snapped.

He shrugged one shoulder and cocked an eyebrow at me. "Nothing." He paused for a beat before continuing. "You sure you want to take us all in? I realize you work in a mental institution, but what you're offering…" He sighed and shook his head. "Well, let's just say you haven't truly witnessed crazy until you've sat through an evening with my Alice."

"Are you saying your wife's insane, Jasper?"

"I said nothing of the sort, doc," he snickered in return. "Just remember…I _did_ ask if you were sure."

Our odd conversation was interrupted by Sue's soft knock on my office door. She stepped inside with Bella's file in one hand and transfer papers in the other.

"Dr. Cullen, you'll have to sign off on these," she said, placing the papers on my desk. "There is a slight complication, though. The papers require a supervising physician's signature."

Fuck, there was no way I was going to get that signature. Dr. Hunter had surely reported the incident with Bella and, given the severity of his accusations, that meant Bella would more than likely be stuck here for at least another fourteen days. I shared a knowing look with Jasper before signing my name on the first signature line. Taking my cue, he grabbed the pen and scrawled his own name on the line next to mine, leaving the third signature line at the bottom blank.

Sue looked between the two of us, her forehead scrunched in confusion. "Who's going to sign off-"

"Sue, I need you to do me a favor," I said as I slid the incomplete transfer paperwork into Bella's file and snapped it closed. "I need you to put this file back behind the nurse's desk and then park a wheelchair right outside of Bella's room."

"Dr. Cullen-"

I held up my hand to halt her question. "Please don't ask," I begged. "Just do those two things for me." I was already deeply regretting the fact that she was involved at all, but I needed help in getting Bella out of here. The less Sue knew, the better. Plausible deniability and such.

A look of understanding crossed her face and she nodded in agreement. She picked up Bella's file and headed for the door, but turned back toward me with a kind smile. "You're a good man, Dr. Cullen. I'll have the wheelchair outside her room in five minutes." I nodded my thanks as Sue closed the door behind her with a soft click.

"You sure about this, doc?" Jasper asked, his voice tinged with regret. "You know what this means-"

"Of course I do, Jasper." I sighed and ran my hand through my hair roughly. I was essentially releasing Bella to Jasper's care with incomplete paperwork. It could very well cost me my license, but deep down I believed Jasper when he said Bella was in danger here. "She's worth the risk."

He merely nodded with a tight smile before heading for the door. I took a few deep breaths and followed behind him.

We slipped quietly down the hallway, trying to avoid running into any of the other staff. A quick glance toward the nurse's station confirmed that Sue had cleared the area of all employees, probably sending them off one at a time on mundane errands and effectively leaving the hallway clear for our escape.

"We need to hurry this along, doc," Jasper whispered. "Not sure how long our luck's going to hold out."

"I know, Jasper!" With one last look to make sure the coast was clear, I darted around the corner and down the hall towards Bella's room. With as little sound as possible, we opened the door and shuffled inside, pulling the wheelchair in with us.

I quickly made my way over to the bed and began releasing the restraints tethering Bella to the hospital bed. My anger spiked as I took my first real look at her. Her right cheek was red and swollen and a small cut resided just under her eye where red and purple blotches had begun to blossom. The bruises from her previous injuries had begun to yellow around the edges, making these fresh marks stand out all that more clearly. I pulled down her blanket and grimaced. Her creamy skin was mottled with scratches and dark marks, the ones on her upper arms clearly indicative of finger impressions.

"Son of a bitch!" Jasper hissed next to me, having taken his own look at Bella's injuries.

I shot him a scathing glance and held my finger to my lips. We would be caught for sure if he couldn't keep his voice down. I hoisted an unconscious Bella into my arms and sat her gingerly in the wheelchair, positioning her so that she would remain upright while we made our escape. Jasper wrapped her in a blanket and then scurried over to the door, checking that the coast was clear. Luck was still with us as we made our way out of the room and around the nurse's station without incident, heading straight for the exit that would lead us back to the parking garage. Our own echoing footfalls chased us across the near empty lot as we sprinted for my car.

Jasper helped me get Bella situated in the backseat and then climbed in with her, scooting down so that no one would see them. "I can't believe we made it out of there unnoticed," he muttered, buckling his seatbelt.

"Me either," I replied nervously, sliding into the driver's seat. Relief flooded through me as I pulled out of the parking garage, but I couldn't escape the nagging feeling that our escape had gone a little too smoothly.

~oOo~

"Have you heard from Alice yet?" I asked as I stirred my tea at the kitchen counter. The smell of honey and cinnamon helped to soothe my anxiety as I thought of the sweet girl sleeping in the room next to mine just down the hall.

"No," Jasper replied, "but I texted her your home address. Peter will get her here safely, doc."

We'd been home for over two hours. In that time, I'd managed to get Jasper squared away in the guest house. While he was grateful for the accommodations for him and Alice, he insisted on Bella staying in the spare bedroom in the main house. I didn't argue. Having Bella close put me at ease.

I'd originally built the guest house as a sort of mother-in-law suite. Wishful thinking on my part, I suppose, but I still held out hope of finding my mother someday. I wanted her to have her own sanctuary, a safe place to go when her world crumbled around her. Away from my father and his controlling ways.

I set a cup of steaming tea down in front of Jasper along with a bottle of Tennessee whiskey before taking a seat across from him at the kitchen table. "Do you think Alice will be okay with your decision to stay here? From the little I've spoken to her, she doesn't seem the type to relish having her decisions made for her."

He smiled crookedly and poured a little of the liquor into his tea. "Sure, doc. She'll be fine with it. She knew it would happen like this anyway."

"What do you mean, she knew?"

He sighed and took a sip from his cup. "Back at the restaurant when I had Alice on the phone. She said to watch out for Bella's best interests. She said if push came to shove, you'd have a way out for us. A safe place we could go."

I simply snorted in response. "That's a real fortune cookie response, Jasper. You assume Alice's prediction came true because I invited you into my home. I could have just as easily suggested the Holiday Inn a few blocks away."

A soft giggle sounded from my kitchen doorway. "Yes, but their continental breakfast leaves much to be desired. They don't even have biscuits, for crying out loud! As for fortune cookie predictions…well, those happen to be my specialty, sugar."

A young woman, whom I could only assume was Alice, stood leaning against the wall, her deep blue eyes appraising me inquisitively. In a rather fluid movement, she danced into the room amid swishing skirts and bangle bracelets, completely uninhibited by her protruding belly. She came to a stop mid-twirl directly in front of me and extended her delicate hand in greeting.

"Pleasure to finally meet you, Edward. I'm Alice Whitlock." Her lips curled into a gracious smile, setting my frazzled nerves at ease. "I can't thank you enough for putting us up like this."

"It's no trouble at all, Mrs. Whitlock," I replied. I couldn't help but smile back at the small woman in front of me. Her black hair was tied back with a dark blue scarf that only accentuated her charcoal lined eyes and ruby red lips. The peasant top that hung from her shoulders was laced together with satin ribbon and silver jewelry adorned her bare skin in abundance. She was quite simply the epitome of the word gypsy.

But underneath all of the traditional garb, an eerie luminescence radiated from her. Something almost…otherworldly. And her eyes…despite her otherwise calm disposition, I could see a hurricane swirling in those blue depths. A force not to be reckoned with.

In a grand gesture, she was swept away from my casual perusing as Jasper pulled her into his embrace, placing a smacking kiss to her lips. His hands snaked around her waist, travelling up her back before finally settling on her bare shoulders. Pulling back a bit, he scoffed as he released her from his grip, drinking in her appearance. "Oh, peaches. Don't you think this getup is a bit much?"

She shrugged one shoulder and grinned mischievously. "It's what Dr. Cullen expected, sweets. Now what kind of gypsy would I be if I didn't show him the whole package?"

He chuckled and rolled his eyes at her. "Whatever you say, sugarpuss. Now, where's Peter?"

"Oh! He had to go. The airport taxi met us here so that he could get back in time to make his flight."

I had to admit, I was damn impressed with the timing and precision with which she had executed her arrival. It all seemed a little too orchestrated and not at all reminiscent of my personal experiences. My life had always felt chaotic and out of control. First with my mother's illness and then later with my father's alcohol abuse. Control and order were not concepts familiar to me.

Jasper merely continued to smile down at his wife while caressing her stomach. They seemed to be carrying on a silent exchange while I sat and sipped my tea, waiting patiently. It was the first time I'd ever felt like a guest in my own home. After several long moments, Alice and Jasper finally broke apart.

"Sorry, doc," Jasper drawled. "I don't like being away from her. Especially with her this close to her due date."

"Completely understandable, Jasper. No apologies necessary." I got up from my seat and headed toward the refrigerator. "Alice, can I offer you anything to drink? I've got-"

"I'll take some of that red Kool-Aid on the bottom shelf, please," she responded with a sly smile.

The door to the refrigerator continued to swing open on its arc even though my hand had dropped from the handle. I swung around to look at Alice, completely shocked by her request. Grown men didn't typically drink Kool-Aid, but I'd been addicted to the stuff since I was a kid. It was my guilty pleasure. No one knew…not even my father. "How did you know?"

"Hmm, that is the question, isn't it?" She smirked and retrieved a glass from the cabinet next to the sink. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she'd been in my house before. "Aw, don't look at me like that, sugar. Everyone keeps their cups in the cupboard next to the sink. Anywhere else would just be plain uncivilized."

With shaking hands, I retrieved the cherry Kool-Aid from the refrigerator and filled her waiting cup. As I put the Kool-Aid away, I contemplated on whether or not to add a little whiskey to my tea. I could certainly use it.

"You should have a drink, Edward. It'll help settle your nerves." She moved past me and sat next to Jasper at the table. "We've still got a few more hours to kill before Bella wakes up. Would you like me to read you fortune?" Alice asked me. Her deep blue eyes appraised me silently, shining with just a hint of humor and mischief.

I shuffled my feet a bit, staring at the floor. "Ah, no...that's okay."

"Please? Come sit," she beckoned, motioning toward my chair. "Indulge me. I promise I won't bite."

She held out her hand, palm facing up, waiting patiently for me to make up my mind. I reluctantly took a seat next to her and placed my hand in hers. She traced my palm with one long, slender finger, sending a cold shiver up my spine.

"See this line right here?" she asked, pointing to a wrinkle set square between my thumb and forefinger. "This is your life line. It travels from the juncture all the way down to the cuff of your wrist. It means you'll have a long life, sugar. That's good news."

I scoffed at her and began to pull away. "That's rather vague, don't you think?"

"A true skeptic. You're going to be a tough egg to crack." She laughed and pulled my hand back in front of her to continue her observations. "Well now, that's interesting. See this line right here?" she asked, running her finger around to the edge of my pinky finger. The line was so faint, I had to lean down a bit to see it. "This line shows that you will suffer a painful blow." With my face mere centimeters from my palm, Alice thrust my hand up into my nose, causing my eyes to water from the stinging pain. "That's what we like to call a self-fulfilling prophecy, sugar."

"Damn it!" I hissed, holding by nose. "What the hell was that for?"

"Just a reminder," she replied with a shrug. "You promised you'd keep an open mind, and yet here you sit mocking me." She stood from her seat and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer, placing it gingerly against my nose. "Hold this there for ten minutes and you'll be right as rain."

I turned her words over in my head as I waited for the throbbing to subside. "I'm sorry, Alice," I said regretfully. "I truly meant no offense." My voice was muffled from the ice pack, but her answering smile told me my apology was accepted. "This is just a lot to process. I mean…I care about Bella and I'd do anything in my power to protect her."

"How can you ever hope to protect her if you don't believe her?" Alice sighed and stared down at her hands for a few moments. "Edward, I want you to do me a favor. I want you to close your eyes and just listen to me. Really concentrate on my voice and my words."

I eyed her skeptically. "You aren't going to hypnotize me, are you?"

"No," she replied with a breathy chuckle. "Now, close your eyes. I want you to imagine for a moment that you were born blind. You spend every day shrouded in this darkness while those around you weave tales bathed in color and light. Those words mean nothing to you, but are described to you in great detail, trying to make association between colors and your other senses. Blue...cool and wet. Red…hot and passionate. Others see them, but you can't. You lack the sense with which to experience this phenomenon. But just because you can't see it, doesn't mean red ceases to exist."

"You're talking about perception," I muttered, opening my eyes.

"Yes," she replied with a wide grin. "All forms of perception. See, there is an underlying current to this existence that you can't see, but that doesn't mean it isn't real. You judge the truth...the absolute validity of this world using the senses provided to you. So do we. It just so happens that we're equipped with another sense. We can see the red that others can't. Understand?"

"In theory," I acquiesced. "I'll admit, there's some natural precedence for what you're suggesting, but you haven't explained what all of this has to do with me. Why come here? Jasper could've just as easily requested Bella's transfer days ago and you'd be back in Arizona by now. What did Bella see and what does it have to do with me?"

She placed her warm hand against my cheek and smiled sweetly. "I can't answer that, sugar. All I know is that Bella needs you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I appreciate each and every one of you that take time out of your busy lives to read my little story. Thank you so much for all of the review/fav/follows and for sticking with me through the long wait. I've been in computer hell for the last few months, but I'm back on track now.**

 **So, on with the next chapter.**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

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EPOV

Bella slept on into the early morning hours and I had long lost any semblance of patience. Unable to stay away from her any longer, I had taken up residence in the rocking chair next to her bed. The consistent rise and fall of her chest from underneath the mass of blankets was almost hypnotic and I was completely entranced by the way her eyelids fluttered and her lips pursed slightly on each exhale. The bruises on her face still angered me to no end, but underneath that, her beauty was undeniable. My fingers ached to reach out and brush along her cheek, but I remained motionless, watching her sleep.

Jasper leaned casually in the doorway, chuckling every so often at my reactions to the sleeping beauty. "The sedative's worn off and her breathing's shallow, so it shouldn't be long. She'll wake up any time now. Alice should be here in a few minutes."

I nodded without looking away from Bella's still form. Truthfully, I was anxious as hell for her to wake up. I was desperate to find out what had happened to her inside that hospital room. "Do you think she'll be okay with this, Jasper? I mean, she went to sleep at the hospital and is waking up in my home. I don't want her to think I'm some kind of a nutcase."

Jasper barked out a laugh. "Oh, doc…I think you've got nothing to worry about there."

I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but was interrupted as Alice waltzed into the room. She had changed from her peasant skirt and blouse into an over-sized tunic and black tights, the bangle bracelets and gold hoop earrings missing as well. The smoky makeup was gone and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. She looked…normal.

Alice snorted at my not-so-subtle gawking and rolled her eyes. "Jeez, Edward…relax. The gypsy garb was a joke. So sue me for having a little fun at your expense, sugar. I know the rumors about me and I also know that to some extent you believed them."

"How?" I asked, disbelievingly. "You've only _just_ met me. We've spoken on the phone all of _one time_. How could you possibly know anything about me?"

"You still don't believe." She sighed dramatically and shrugged, taking a seat on the foot of Bella's bed. "It'll take time. Besides, the rumors about me are all true, sugar. I am of Romani descent, so according to North American cultural standards, I guess that'd make me a gypsy. It's been philosophized for centuries that gypsies have the gift of clairvoyance. While I can't speak for all of my ancestors, I can honestly tell you that the women in my family do indeed have the gift of second sight." She turned her head toward Jasper and smiled. "What can I say? We're blessed."

I snorted in response. "Blessed, huh? Sounds more like a curse."

She hummed and pursed her lips, softly stroking her belly. "Some see it that way, I suppose, but for me it's just a way of life. I wouldn't change it for the world. With any luck, the gift will carry down to my own girls."

Considering her words carefully, I looked back to Jasper. "And you'd be okay with that? People can be cruel when it comes to things they don't understand. You'd want that for your daughters?"

He chuckled and gazed at his wife adoringly. "I'm a lucky man, doc. Alice is a remarkable woman and I wouldn't change a single thing about her. I'll be a proud papa if my girls turn out to be half the woman she is…gift and all."

Alice practically melted at his words and held her hand out toward him, beckoning him to her with a crooked grin. "Sweet words, sugar puss. Don't you worry…your girls will be perfect."

Before I could question her further, Bella began to stir in her sleep, my name exhaled in a breathy whisper. I couldn't help the traitorous heat that flashed across my cheeks at her sleepy ramblings. Alice gave me a knowing smirk and a sly wink, causing the flush to run clear to the tip of my ears.

"Alice?" Bella mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "What are you doing here?" She blinked blearily and gazed at her surroundings, her beautiful eyes growing wider with each pass. "Wait…where the fuck am I?" Panic began to take hold as her head whipped back and forth, searching for familiarity.

"Easy, sweet pea," Jasper cooed from his spot behind Alice. "Calm down. You're perfectly safe."

My heart lurched at the apprehension etched on her face. Before my next breath, I was kneeling next to her, aching to reach out and touch her. Anything to soothe her. "It's okay, Bella. You're in my home."

Despite her obvious confusion, she looked back at me, her soulful eyes boring into mine. Tossing back the covers, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, stretching her neck and shoulders as she slowly brought herself into an upright position. "So, why am I here and not at the hospital?"

I fidgeted under her intense stare, my anxiety getting the best of me. "Jasper felt it would be safer to remove you from the hospital. Do you remember what happened back in your room before you were sedated?"

Her hand lurched up to her throat, her delicate fingers tracing the fresh bruises. "Only bits and pieces," she whispered, eyeing me carefully. For a brief moment a flash of fear crossed her face, but disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. Replaced, instead, with confusion and a hint of anger. "I think…I asked the wrong questions."

"I'm not sure I understand-"

"Let's give her a little bit to get her bearings, shall we?" Alice asked, quirking an eyebrow in my direction. "Come on, Bella. Let's get you cleaned up. You'll feel a heap better, sweets." Taking Bella's hand she pulled her up and ushered her toward the attached bathroom while shooing me toward the bedroom door.

"C'mon, doc," Jasper said. "Let's give the girls some privacy. I don't know about you, but I'm famished. We'll cook up some grub and then maybe Bella will be up to answering a few more questions."

With a clap to my shoulder, he pulled me from the room and back down the hall to the kitchen. Humming a country tune that I couldn't quite name, Jasper rooted around in my refrigerator, finally emerging with an armload of bacon, eggs, and a block of cheddar cheese. "You like omelets, doc? The girls would eat breakfast morning, noon, and night if I'd let 'em."

"Sure, uh...yeah. Breakfast sounds...good," I stuttered, my head still spinning from my short conversation with Bella. She had seemed okay despite the heavy sedative. A bit disoriented, but that was to be expected. I just wish I'd gotten a little more information. She remembered at least some of what happened at the hospital, but then gave that cryptic as hell answer. She asked the wrong questions? What in the blue fuck did that even mean?

"You're thinking too hard, doc," Jasper snorted.

"Sorry," I mumbled with a shake of my head. I pushed away from the counter and grabbed the cutting board next to the stove and a knife from the block, losing myself to the monotonous swish of the blade. Jasper and I worked in comparative silence and my head began to clear as the smell of cheese and bacon filled my kitchen. Every so often, I would chance a glance at the open doorway, eager to see Bella, only to be slightly disappointed as the minutes ticked by without her reappearance.

Until finally I heard it. The padded footsteps of socked feet on my hardwood floor followed by a soft giggle. The very same giggle that had been haunting my dreams for the past few days.

I couldn't help but smile at the young woman peeking nervously around the corner. After some coaxing from Alice, Bella finally shuffled into the kitchen. Her hair was still damp and the scent that wafted around her reminded me of summer rain. Clean and fresh with a hint of lavender. She chanced a quick glance in my direction, her cheeks tinged pink. Whether her blush was from the heat of the shower or my obvious staring, I wasn't sure. But, fuck, if it didn't make her all the more appealing.

She cleared her throat and met my gaze solidly, her teeth chewing her plump bottom lip. "So, I'd like to thank you, Dr. Cullen-"

"Edward...please call me Edward," I interjected, somewhat disappointed at her need for formalities. "Technically, I'm no longer your doctor."

She nodded and looked over at Jasper for a moment, her expression sad and pensive. "Yeah...about that. Alice told me what you did for me at the hospital and what it could mean for your license. I...I'm grateful, but I hate the thought of you losing your license because of me."

I sighed, staring at the bruises on Bella's neck, knowing full well that there were more marks hidden under the long sleeves of her shirt. "I don't regret it, Bella, and I'll deal with whatever consequences come because of it."

Her face fell slightly and she glanced at Jasper. "How much have you told him about me?"

"Not much, sugar plum," he replied with a shrug. "Just a bit of history. He was berating me for taking you off your meds when we got word that you were in need of a jail break."

She ran her hand through her hair, a look of frustration marring her lovely complexion, before settling her gaze back on me. "Dr. Cullen…Edward…I can't tell you how sorry I am that you've been dragged into this. There's so much that I want to _explain_ …"

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to release the stress in my shoulders and neck. Leaning back in my chair, my breakfast completely forgotten, I stared at the beauty before me. She seemed apprehensive about the task at hand, so I covered her shaking hand with mine to try and ease her anxiety. "It's alright, Bella. You don't have anything to be afraid of here. I promise to listen."

The tension in her face began to disappear and she graced me with the sweetest of smiles. "Thank you, Edward." She closed her eyes for a brief moment and when she opened them again, it seemed as if a weight had been lifted. "Well, you already know how I ended up in Jasper's care. After speaking at length with Rachel and doing a bit of his own research, he suggested discontinuing the antipsychotics. An experiment…of sorts."

"And, boy did that backfire!" Jasper cackled, slapping his hand on the table.

My brow furrowed in confusion as I looked back and forth between an exasperated Bella and a giggling Jasper. "It didn't work?"

"Oh, it worked alright! But you've seen her completely off her meds, doc," he replied, wiping the moisture from his eyes as his laughter died down. "Nothing but riddles, I tell you. Like solving Chinese arithmetic."

Understanding finally dawned on me as I thought back to the night Bella was admitted. She'd been completely immersed in a full blown psychotic episode and, despite my very best efforts, my conversation with her had been confusing and borderline frustrating. Every statement from her beautiful mouth only begged another question. Nothing made sense.

"She jabbered for hours," he continued with a sly grin. "Carrying on the oddest of conversations with every damn picture I put in front of her. I tried like hell…I really did. But I couldn't make heads or tails out of what she was going on about."

I couldn't help but chuckle as Bella rolled her eyes dramatically. "Oh for fuck's sake! You just weren't paying attention." She cut her eyes in my direction and grinned. "So, yeah…it took us about six months of playing with my dosage before we got it to the point where I could converse with everyone, both physically present and… _not_."

I blew out a long breath as I let her words sink in. "Jesus, what a mind fuck that must've been. How do you even begin to deal with that kind of knowledge?"

My opinion on her sanity must have been weighing heavily on Bella, because the moment that question left my mouth, she brightened immediately, becoming more reminiscent of the girl I first met. She cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips, studying me intently. "Not without difficulty," she finally replied. "Jasper had his work cut out for him, that's for sure. I wasn't exactly a… _model patient_ in the beginning."

Jasper guffawed at her choice of words. "Oh, darlin', you were never a model patient." He shook his head at her when she stuck her tongue out at him. "But no matter…by that point, we were well past the whole doctor/patient pretense. I was spending less and less time at work and more time helping sweet pea with her-"

"…batshit crazy bag of tricks?" Bella finished with a giggle.

We all laughed at her colorful turn of phrase, but Jasper replied, "I was going to say extraordinary gift."

She snorted and waved her hand in his direction. "Sure you were, Jazz. Fact is, I was difficult. I wasn't sure if I believed what Jasper was suggesting…even when the evidence was right in front of me." Her eyes alight with mischief, she smirked up at Jasper. "Of course, there was that week that I thought you were the crazy one and I was living in the Twilight Zone."

Jasper sputtered and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I seem to recall we increased your dosage after that."

I watched their easy interaction, wishing with everything in me that Bella and I could work up to that kind of rapport. "So what changed your mind, Bella?"

She opened her mouth, but then shut it with a small squeak, her chipper demeanor morphing to one of grief. As she fidgeted under my gaze, it was Jasper that finally answered.

"A missing girl named Molly," Jasper whispered solemnly. I got the distinct impression from his tone that Molly's missing person case didn't have a happy ending. "She was six," Jasper continued. "It was a local case and the police had very few leads. Her family had plastered damn near every inch of that city with posters, begging for any leads and even offering a reward for any information that lead to her safe return."

"I saw the poster," Bella murmured, staring off into space. "Molly…she had such a sweet angel face. My heart absolutely broke for her." I squeezed both her hands in mine as a loud sob erupted from her chest. "She was…so scared. So cold and alone, but still alive." She gazed at me through wet eyelashes while tears spilled down her cheeks. "I tried to understand what she was telling me, but she was so young. By the time I figured it out, it was too late."

I pulled Bella into my arms as she broke down, her body shaking with the force of her grief. My eyes pleaded with Jasper to finish the story so that the brave girl in my arms didn't have to recount what I was sure to be some horrific details.

Jasper sighed and ran his hand roughly through his hair. "Bella tried so hard, doc. Molly was scared and confused. The descriptions she gave were too vague. It didn't help matters that the little girl was hurt." He watched Bella carefully as she regained her composure, her chest hitching with only the occasional hiccup. "Bella thought she was lost in the Kartchner Caverns, even going so far as to leave an anonymous tip with the local authorities."

"So stupid," Bella muttered against my neck. She pulled back to look me in the eyes. "I was just so sure, but I was wrong. The police had been scouring the caves for over a day with no results, so I decided to try again. Molly was fading fast and she kept repeating the same information over and over. Just when I was about to give up, she mentioned…a train track." Fresh tears began to fall as she squeaked out the last bit. "Molly wasn't in the caves. She'd wandered into an abandoned mine. The tracks were for the old carts that miners used to bring gold to the surface back in the day. She had slipped through an offshoot, breaking her ankle and two ribs on the way down."

"It was a steep fall and she suffered some internal injuries as well. By the time the police found her, it was all over," Jasper finished, his voice tight with worry. "Bella was…inconsolable. She wanted to give it up. Her gift, I mean…"

"Oh, sweet girl," I whispered, running my fingers through her hair. "You did your best. You're so much stronger than you give yourself credit for."

Her watery smile sent my heart into overdrive as her hand wrapped around the back of my neck. "Jasper's right. At the time, I wanted to give it up. I talked him into putting me on a regular dose of antipsychotics. Anything to make the voices go away. My resolve didn't last long, though. I needed to know where I'd gone wrong. Why I couldn't save her. I became…obsessed." She cut her eyes in Jasper's direction as if daring him to refute her claim.

"Obsessed is a harsh word, babycakes," he huffed, rolling his eyes at her before turning his attention back to me. "She'd decided to give it another go, hoping for a better outcome, but my help could only go so far. So, she began actively seeking out anyone that claimed to have an _extrasensory gift_. That's how I met my other half." He winked at Alice and grinned, causing both women to let loose a round of giggles.

"You mean your _better_ half, sugar," Alice corrected with a cheeky grin of her own. "I helped Bella get a better handle on her particular talents and she wanted nothing more than to save every lost soul she could. I'll admit, I was a little apprehensive in the beginning about her hero complex. We're secretive by nature, so it goes against the grain to reveal ourselves and not expect consequences. Beating around the bush is an art we've mastered. It took me longer than I care to admit that Bella was right. We're gifted for a reason. It's been a tough road riddled with tricky cases and evil the likes of which you've never seen, sugar. That last assignment…well, let's hope we don't have to face another one like it for a while."

Alice's depiction conjured images of the night Bella was brought into my hospital, bruised and bloody. I still didn't know everything about the case she'd been working on and neither did Jasper, but he'd assured me that the bastard that had hurt her was behind bars. That didn't mean there weren't others lurking. I'd only known Bella and her family for a few days, but I could already see the perils of the life she led. As I gazed at the beautiful creature in front of me, an intense feeling welled up from deep inside, filing every crevice until I felt I would surely burst from it. The innate need to protect her from it all.

I scooted forward in my chair and cleared my throat. "Bella, I need to know what happened between you and Dr. Hunter inside that hospital room. What could you have possibly said that would warrant him attacking you?" The question hung in the area, a bitter intrusion to the short lived tranquility that had settled around us.

She shook her head, looking a bit lost. "I...I'm not exactly sure who attacked me, Edward. It could have been Dr. Hunter, the blond nurse, or one of the orderlies. I can't…really remember clearly…"

Jasper and I both recoiled at her quiet admission, but it was Jasper that was finally able to pose the question. "What orderlies? Sue didn't mention anyone else but Dr. Hunter and Nurse Stanley."

Bella shrugged and trained her eyes on the table, staring at nothing. "Just two guys dressed in tan scrubs," she whispered. "Said they needed to change the sheets and whatnot. They were there for less than a minute before Dr. Hunter made an appearance."

"You said you asked the wrong questions. _What_ could you have possibly asked about that would evoke that type of violent response?"

Bella blew out a long breath and wrapped her arms around herself. "Not what… _who_. I saw something the night I was brought in. A framed photograph at the nurse's station."

I closed my eyes, trying to recall the photo in question. I remembered Sue had bought a small silver frame for it as she scolded me on being antisocial recluse. "A birthday party for one of the doctors," I whispered, my eyes snapping open to meet hers. "It was taken right after I started working there. Sue gave me a lot of shit for missing the party with me being new and all, but I had some…family matters…to attend to that night and couldn't make it." Realization dawned on me as I watched Bella chew her lip nervously. "Did someone in that picture speak to you, Bella?"

"Yes," she whimpered. "A woman named Angie. She…I think she's dead, Edward, and I think someone at that hospital is responsible."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that takes the time to read my story. I truly appreciate each and every review, fav, and follow. I apologize for the delay in updating, but real life sucks sometimes, you know? But when life gives you lemons, make a cocktail...**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

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EPOV

Sweat broke out across my forehead despite the cool temperature of the room. I tried my best to stay still and not fidget as Dr. Raines combed through Bella's patient file, but the gaping silence had me nearly crawling out of my skin. His serene gray eyes met mine from behind his thick rimmed glasses and he sighed, clasping his hands together on top of my transcribed notes.

"I'm at a loss, Dr. Cullen," he began with a shake of his head. "You've been here for several months now. Met with dozens of patients and performed numerous intakes...all impeccably, I might add." He tapped his finger against Bella's file and eyed me inquisitively. "And yet with this patient, everything just fell apart. Half of your notes are missing and the transfer paperwork is incomplete. I just can't wrap my head around this. Now, I've already spoken with Nurse Clearwater and Dr. Hunter, but I'd like to hear your version of events. What happened?"

I cleared my throat nervously and tried to relax. He wasn't outwardly accusing me of any wrongdoing. "My lapse in judgement aside, I won't try to make excuses, Dr. Raines. I admit, I was a little...unnerved...by this patient. I wasn't quite sure what to make of her, but before I could make an informed decision, her treating psychiatrist from Arizona swooped in and signed her out from under my care. I can't apologize enough for my oversight in the paperwork process."

Dr. Raines flipped through a few pages in Bella's chart. "As Hospital Administrator it's my responsibility to ensure that policy is followed to the letter, as I'm sure you are well aware." I nodded even though his eyes never left the pages spread out before him. "While I can appreciate the confusion caused by the sudden appearance of her treating psychiatrist, I'm afraid I cannot condone your blatant disregard for this hospital's policies. You've left me no choice but to suspend you for thirty days."

I opened my mouth to protest and then snapped it closed. I'd been prepared to argue against my immediate dismissal, so it took a moment for his words to register with my brain. I wasn't being fired...only suspended.

With his hands clasped in front of him, Dr. Raines smirked at me. "You were expecting a different outcome?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered, unsure of how to proceed. I was afraid that saying too much would give away my motives and future intentions. As far as anyone else was concerned, Bella had been signed out by Dr. Whitlock and taken back to Arizona. No one needed to know that they were staying with me.

Dr. Raines leaned back in his chair and studied me expectantly, the creak of worn leather echoing loudly throughout the spacious office. "You're incredibly lucky, Dr. Cullen. Just prior to your arrival, I received a phone call from an old colleague of mine who happens to serve on the Washington State Medical Board." He took his glasses off and tossed them on top of Bella's file, rubbing his hands briskly over his face before settling his intense stare back on me. "He fervently pleaded your case, arguing that your actions were ultimately in the best interest of your patient. Hence, there will be no further action taken on the matter. I must admit, your influence has a wide reach. However, you did breach hospital protocol and, therefore, I am within my right to uphold your thirty day suspension."

Although utterly confused by this turn of events, I worked to keep my face expressionless, opting instead to stare blankly ahead. His words made no sense to me. I didn't know any higher-ups and had certainly never met anyone on the state medical board. My father may have had that level of influence once upon a time, but I hadn't spoken to him in a while and was certain that he had no idea of my current predicament.

Sensing that he'd get no further explanation from me, Dr. Raines merely shook his head and closed Bella's file. "If you've got nothing else to add, Dr. Cullen, you're free to go." He slowly rose to his feet and gestured toward the door.

My fingers were stiff and aching as I pried them from the arms of my chair, willing myself to get up before he changed his mind. Despite the swirling questions in my head, I managed to choke out a quiet thank you and slip out into the hallway. With Dr. Raines door shut safely behind me, I slumped against the wall and took a shuddering breath, willing my heart rate down to a more manageable level. Once I had a bit more composure about me, I pushed away from the wall and headed toward the nurse's station. I should've been headed in the opposite direction toward the garage, but there was someone I needed to see first.

As I rounded the corner, I was nearly tackled to the ground, only keeping my balance by grabbing onto my assailant's arms to steady us both. Sue gazed up at me with wide, startled eyes as the stack of files she'd been carrying fell from her hands, landing haphazardly on the floor with a loud smack.

"Dr. Cullen! You scared me!" she gasped with her hand pressed against her chest. With a sly wink, she stooped down to gather the files. She must've known that I would crouch down to help her because she nonchalantly pushed a manila envelope toward me while shifting her position to block me from the security camera's view.

Catching on to her intentions, I swiftly shoved the envelope into my jacket pocket and scooped up the rest of Sue's spilled files. "I'm so sorry, Sue. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you okay?"

She smiled sadly and nodded as I pulled her back up, taking the folders from my outstretched hands. "Of course, dear. It'll take a bit more than a sudden bump to knock this old lady on her ass!" She chuckled lightly, but her eyes never lost that hint of concern. "I was just about to drop these patient files by your office," she continued, gesturing to her armload of paperwork.

I rubbed my hand along the back of my neck nervously, hoping that my performance would be convincing to prying eyes. "Actually, Sue, you can leave those patient files with Dr. Raines. I'm taking a leave of absence."

"Oh, I had no idea!" she exclaimed. The look of shock on Sue's face was so authentic, I'd dare anyone to guess otherwise. "I hope everything's alright?"

"Sure, Sue. Just some personal matters that I need to attend to. Don't worry…I'll be back in a month." It was hard as fuck to keep from glancing at that damn security camera, but I had to make sure Sue was covered and couldn't be implicated in my little shenanigans. She'd already helped me so much.

With that envelope burning a hole in my pocket, I gave Sue a quick, one-armed hug and headed back toward the garage, making it out to my car in less than a minute. Still under the ever watchful eye of security surveillance, I pulled out of my assigned parking space and left the hospital without so much as a backward glance.

The drive home seemed to take forever as I thought over the events from this morning. Bella's cryptic declaration had been playing havoc with my head ever since I'd left the house. While I'd been eager to delve into her recollection from the night she'd been admitted, our conversation had been cut short by the call from Dr. Raines requesting my immediate presence at the hospital. Bella had known right away what the phone call meant and had been near inconsolable despite my assurances that everything would be fine. Reluctant to upset her further, I'd waited until I was on my way to the hospital before I called in the biggest favor of my life.

 _As I backed out of the driveway, I dialed Sue's cell phone number with shaking fingers. It rang several times, but just as I was preparing to hang up, Sue's motherly voice answered._

 _"_ _Dr. Cullen? Edward?"_

 _I breathed a quick sigh of relief. "Yeah, Sue, it's me."_

 _"_ _Oh, thank goodness! Is Bella okay?"_

 _Smiling a little at her concern, I replied, "She's as good as can be expected."_

 _"_ _Good…good. Listen, Edward. I was questioned by the hospital administrator in regards to Bella. There are rumors of an investigation-"_

 _"_ _I know, Sue. Dr. Raines called me this morning and I'm on my way to the hospital as we speak. They have grounds for dismissal, but I can only hope it won't come to that. Here's the thing…I know I've already asked so much of you and you have every right to say no, but I need another favor." I paused for a moment, waiting for her to refuse my request and tell me to get bent, but she shocked me once again._

 _"_ _Anything, Edward. What do you need?"_

 _Sue had the heart of a saint and I'd forever be thankful for her friendship. "I need a copy of Bella's file. Also…and I know this is going to sound strange, but I need that photo at the nurse's station. You know…the one of everyone at Dr. Baker's birthday party?"_

 _"_ _Why that picture? You don't know anyone in that picture other than me."_

 _"_ _I know. I'm not sure why I need it…just that I do. Please…" My voice cracked a little on that last word and I thought for sure that this would be the moment that she turned me down. Not only was my request completely unethical, but it also violated several HIPAA regulations and privacy laws._

 _"_ _Of course. You say you're on your way here now, yes? Come find me before you leave the hospital."_

I pulled through the front gate and made my way up the drive at break-neck speed, anxious to get back to Bella. Screeching to a halt a few feet from the front steps, I was out of my car in the blink of an eye. Just as I reached the front door, it was flung open and a mass of dark hair and sweet smelling girl plowed into me, nearly knocking us both off the front stoop.

"Edward! Are you okay? What did they say at the hospital? Are you in trouble?" Her questions came fast and furious as she clung to me.

"Whoa, Bella," I mumbled into the soft skin of her neck. "Everything's alright, sweet girl." I hugged her tight against me as I walked her through the front door, kicking it closed behind me. "Let's go sit on the couch and I'll explain everything."

She reluctantly loosened her grip and slid down my body, eliciting an almost instantaneous reaction from my traitorous cock. Jesus, the things this girl did to me. Entwining her fingers with mine, I pulled her into the living room where I was surprised to find Alice waiting patiently on the couch.

A sly smile crept across her face as she took in our clasped hands. "Well, aren't you two awfully cozy…"

Bella blushed at Alice's observation and tried to pull away, but I only tightened my grip and tugged her closer, unwilling for there to be any distance between us. I plopped down on the love seat and pulled Bella into my lap, silently daring Alice to make a crude remark.

Her eyes softened a bit. "Aw, hell, don't mind me. My tongue's always been a bit glib according to Jasper. He'd know, I suppose…"

As if he'd been summoned, the man in question appeared at the top of the stairs with his cell phone pressed to his ear. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but if his expression was any indication, I'd say it was a good phone call. Noticing my arrival, he quickly ended the call and trotted down the steps, missing the last one altogether. He stumbled momentarily, but quickly regained his footing.

Bella giggled at his gracelessness, the sound sending a warm shiver up my spine. "Easy, cowboy," she taunted. "You don't want to break anything that Alice might deem useful."

He clucked his tongue at her playfully and waggled his eyebrows. "Don't tease, sweet pea. I'm graceful when it matters." Despite their flirtatious repartee, his demeanor quickly changed from lighthearted to serious as he took in my slightly disheveled appearance. "Everything go okay at the hospital, doc?"

Clearly, I looked a little worse for wear. "Yeah…I think so. I'm not fired or in danger of losing my license or anything. I am, however, suspended for thirty days. I won't pretend to understand the forces working behind the scenes, but someone must be smiling down on me."

Jasper cleared his throat and rocked back on his heels, looking everywhere but at me. "Well, doc…I might have had a little something to do with that behind the scenes tinkering. I...uh…called in a favor. A good friend of mine just happens to serve of the state medical board."

"Wait, so that was you?" I asked, unable to believe what he was telling me. His wide grin was all the answer I needed. Whether he'd anticipated this outcome or not, Jasper had saved my job and my license. "I don't know what to say. You didn't have to do that, you know. I was fully prepared to accept the consequences-"

"What can I say? Family help each other," he interjected with a shrug of his shoulders.

An odd feeling bubbled up inside of me, one I hadn't felt since before my mother disappeared. I looked into the faces of each and every person in that room and saw compassion and acceptance. I felt…wanted. Cared for. "You all barely know me."

Jasper chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Aw shucks, doc. Both these girls adore you, though for different reasons, I'm sure. What else is there to know?"

The painful lump forming in my throat prevented me from answering, so I just squeezed Bella's hand and nodded at Jasper, somewhat overwhelmed by the emotions coursing through me.

Sensing my obvious discomfort, Alice managed to lighten the mood a bit as she waved her hands at her husband. "A little help, Jazz? Your daughters are using my bladder as a trampoline!" He pulled her up off the couch and she stretched with a wince, her hands pressing against her lower back.

"You okay, sugar lips?" Jasper asked, placing his hands on her round stomach.

She leaned up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Perfect, honeybun. The girls are just vying for space is all." She laid her own hands over Jasper's as a small smile graced her face. "I don't think it'll be much longer before these two decide to make their debut." She cut her eyes over to me and jerked her chin in my direction. "Which is why, as soon as I get back, you need to show us that envelope in your pocket, Edward."

I could only gape after her as she waddled down the hall and into the bathroom. "How the fuck does she do that?" I mumbled under my breath.

Bella turned toward me with a burning curiosity. "What envelope?"

Pulling my arm from around her narrow waist, I dug into my pocket and retrieved the item in question, holding it up for Bella and Jasper to see. "On my way to the hospital, I called Sue and asked her for another favor. She put this information together and slipped it to me before I left."

I opened the manila envelope and emptied the contents onto the coffee table just as Alice rejoined us. There was a Xeroxed copy of Bella's entire medical file along with the picture from the nurse's station that I'd requested. Sue had also managed to snag a copy of Dr. Hunter's official incident report and complaint against Bella. Last but not least, there was a note scribbled in Sue's barely legible handwriting.

 _Edward,_

 _I've put together the items that you asked for and a few other things that might be useful to you. As I said before, the picture you asked for has a lot of people in it that you don't know, so I took the liberty of writing their names on the back. I have no idea what you'd need it for, but I'm under the assumption that it has something to do with Bella._

 _That sweet, innocent girl._

 _I also included a copy of Bella's medical file and the incident report. I want you to know that I don't believe a word of what Dr. Hunter is claiming and I want to help you in any way that I can. While I'm sure your answer will be no, just know that the offer stands._

 _~Sue_

Setting the note aside, I picked up the picture and showed it to Bella. "Is this the photo you saw that night?"

She plucked it from my grasp and ran her finger over the faces one by one. "Yes," she whispered.

"What can you tell us, Bella?" Jasper asked, taking a seat next to Alice.

"Not much more than what I told you this morning," she murmured, her eyes never leaving the photograph. Bella pointed to a young girl, second from the left, with her arm slung around Sue's shoulder. Her black hair and wide smile struck a chord of familiarity with me. I didn't know her, but I was sure she was an employee at the hospital. "She said her name was Angie. The poor girl seemed confused and didn't know where she was, but she said it didn't hurt anymore. She pleaded with me to leave the hospital, rambling that it wasn't safe as long as the hunter stalked the halls."

I flipped the picture over and scanned through the list of names on the back, my eyes settling on the one that corresponded with the girl on the front. "Angela Webber…that name sounds vaguely familiar."

Jasper sprung up from the couch and began to pace the length of the living room. "You're certain, Bella? She said 'the hunter' specifically?" He stopped in his tracks and waited for Bella to respond, chewing his thumbnail nervously.

"I know where you're going with this, Jazz," she replied in a firm tone. "The answer seems obvious doesn't it? She made reference to a hunter stalking the halls and Malcolm Hunter is the doctor who may have attacked me in my room. I'm not so blind to have missed the connection, but I can tell you that these things rarely work out that way. The only way to know for sure is to try and talk to Angie again."

He and Bella stared at one another for a long moment before Jasper finally nodded, hanging his head in defeat. "This is your call, sweets. I know we've discussed it before, but I think I've made myself pretty damn clear as to where I stand on the subject."

She rose from her seat next to me and hugged Jasper around the waist, her head resting just under his chin. "I know, but this is the only way. I have to find out what happened to Angie so I can prevent it from happening to anyone else. So get me the list and let's go over it again, okay?"

"Okay, sugar. Whatever you want." Jasper's worried eyes met mine over the top of Bella's head. "Doc, I think I may need your help with this. It's not something we've ever tried before."

Despite my confusion, I was determined to help Bella in any way that I could. "Of course, but I'm not sure I follow. What exactly are we trying?"

Bella and Jasper exchanged a worried glance before Bella reclaimed her seat beside me. "I need to see this through, Edward, and that means that I need to talk to Angie again…soon."

Jasper took her slight hesitation as an opportunity to explain further. "See, doc, Bella was fully medicated at the hospital and we simply don't have the luxury of waiting for the Haldol to work its way out of her system."

My gaze shifted back and forth between Bella and Jasper as a very unwelcome idea began forming in my mind. "I don't really see a _safe_ way around that, Jasper. We'll just have to wait it out-"

"No offense, doc, but I never said there'd be anything safe about this harebrained scheme of hers. The fact is, we plan to _induce_ psychosis…chemically."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you to everyone still reading my stories. Sorry it took so long for an update but I'm back in the swing of things now. I won't keep you.**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

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EPOV

I stared at Jasper in disbelief, waiting for him to tell me he was joking. That he wasn't seriously asking me to go along with this harebrained idea. Once I realized he was being completely serious, it hit me.

Panic. Pure, unadulterated panic. Playing with meds like this…it could do a lot of damage. If we got the dosage wrong, she could get lost in her delusions, unable to find her way back. Or she could disappear altogether, trapped in a permanent vegetative state. That thought alone sent me into a rage like no other.

"No! Absolutely not! I won't allow it!" I shouted, leaping from the couch and nearly dumping Bella to the floor. In a single stride, I stood toe to toe with Jasper, staring him down incredulously. "How can you possibly even consider allowing this?"

From somewhere behind me, Bella scoffed at my unfortunate choice of words. "Allowing? I'm sitting right here and I'm perfectly capable of making decisions for myself. I think I know what's in my best interests-"

"Said the schizophrenic!" I snapped hastily, turning in her direction. The moment the words left my mouth. I knew I'd made a horrible mistake. Bella's eyes blazed with a fury I'd never seen before, but the anger was soon replaced with a hurt so sharp it cut through to my very soul. "Bella…fuck, I didn't mean it-"

"That's what you think of me?" she spat, angry tears welling up in her eyes. Before I could answer, she lurched off the couch and stormed down the hall, slamming her bedroom door behind her.

Cursing under my breath, I turned to chase after her, only to be pulled back by a firm grip on my shoulder. I tried to shrug loose, but Jasper held steadfast.

"Maybe you should give her a few minutes to cool her jets there, doc?" His ice blue eyes mirrored my own frustration and anger, only his was directed at me and not Bella.

Shoving his hand from my shoulder, I dropped onto the sofa with my head hung low, silently berating myself for my thoughtless reaction. "Fuck…I didn't _mean_ that!"

Alice chuckled from her seat next to me, tucking her feet up underneath her. "Yes, you did. Although, not the most eloquent of deliveries there, sweet cheeks." She sighed and rubbed her hand over her belly. "I swear, if you two could just cut through that fog of sexual tension, you might just be able to talk to each other. You know, she probably wouldn't be near as angry if she knew the _reason_ behind those harsh words, Edward."

"The _reason_ -"

"You know what I mean, sugar. You just need to be honest with her." She smirked and urged me toward the darkened hallway with a jerk of her chin.

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair, tugging at the ends, and glanced towards the closed door keeping me separated from the only person I ached to see. With dragging footsteps and a weary heart, I made my way down the hall, my mind wavering between issuing demands and offering apologies, but all of my determination disappeared the moment her gentle keening met my ears. I couldn't feel any worse if I tried.

Swallowing my pride, I rapped on the door softly. "Bella, can I come in?" The fact that she didn't tell me to fuck off was all the answer I needed. I pushed the door open slowly, cringing at the loud creak of the hinges, and immediately zeroed in on the small, shaking form draped across the bed. "Oh, Bella…I'm so sorry. Please…"

She sat up and glared at me, swiping angrily at the tears spilling down her cheeks. "Please what, Edward? You made it pretty damn clear what you think of me."

I approached her slowly, squatting down in front of her. Even angry and sobbing, she was still the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen and my fingers ached with the need to touch her…comfort her in some way. Anything to erase my thoughtless words and take us back to the way we were before I'd opened my big fucking mouth. "Bella, I'm sorry for what I said. It was a knee-jerk reaction and I'd give anything to take it back."

She sniffled softly and stared at me with red-rimmed eyes. "Then why'd you say it?"

Unable to take the distance between us, I climbed up onto the bed beside her and took her delicate hand in mine. "Bella…I know I've only known you for a few days, but I already feel this incredibly strong connection to you and if something were to happen to you, I just…I don't know what I would do. What you're proposing…it's so fucking dangerous."

Her chest heaved with each hitching breath, but my eyes never wandered from her sweet face. "I feel…that same connection to you too, Edward, but I don't want you to see me as just some crazy girl," she whispered. "You mean too much."

I heard her message loud and clear and maybe this was crossing the line, but I had to show her how I felt. Before I could talk myself out of it, I leaned in and pressed my lips to hers, pouring every ounce of need into that kiss. I thought at first she would push me away, but after a long moment, her petal soft lips began to move against mine. My hands made their way around her waist as her fingers crawled up my chest and shoulders, entwining themselves in the hair at the base of my neck.

Her sweet tongue licked along my bottom lip and I deepened the kiss in response, pulling her tighter to me, secretly delighted with each whimper and moan. The kiss seemed to go on forever and yet not nearly long enough, my body aching to be closer even though there was barely a hair's breadth between us. Reluctantly, I pulled back, ending my shameless display with a small kiss on the tip of her nose.

"I don't think you're crazy, Bella." I sighed and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. A shuddering breath escaped her lips as she peered up at me through tear soaked lashes. The heartbroken expression on her face tore at me as I ran my thumb along the apple of her cheek. "I'm sorry for what I said. You've never been just a patient to me. You've always been more…"

Bella chewed on her bottom lip as she absorbed my words. "But you were so angry."

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. "And I can't apologize enough for my harsh words, but I can't let you go through with this idea, Bella. I'm sorry. I've lost my entire family to this disease and I won't lose you, too."

As confusion swept across Bella's face, Alice's declaration came back to me full force.

 _Just be honest with her._

Fear coiled deep in my belly as I stood up from the bed and settled into the overstuffed chair in the corner. Unsure of how this conversation would be received, I felt a little distance would be best. "My mother was diagnosed with Schizophrenia when she was twenty." Bella's startled gasp came as no surprise to me, but I cringed just the same. "She became symptomatic a few months after I was born. My mom and dad were in their second year of college at the time and if it hadn't been for my grandparents, I'm not sure she would've gotten the treatment she needed."

I'd never really discussed this with anyone and now that the words were out in the open, the memories of my mother hit me hard and fast. Warm hugs and bedtime stories. Kisses to every scratch and bruise. Living room forts built from mountains of pillows and chocolate chip cookies on rainy afternoons. It was a near-perfect childhood…most of the time.

Unable to look at Bella as I laid my family history at her feet, I kept my eyes trained on the dark wooden floor. "For as far back as I can remember, she was always a little off. Don't get me wrong, she was the best mom, but I remember her little quirks and oddities. It wasn't until I was older that I was able to understand what was happening. As she got older, her disease progressed and became more difficult to manage. She tried so hard to keep to her pill regiment and lead a normal life for both me and my father, but she had her slip-ups."

A shuffling of socked feet against bare wood drew my attention and before I could protest, Bella had climbed into my lap. I wasn't sure what reaction I had expected, but her sheer compassion almost wrecked me. "Oh, Edward. That must've been so hard on someone so young…"

I shrugged a little at her innocent observation, trying hard to keep myself in check. "She had her good days and bad days. I try to remember the good, but my dad," I sighed, "he seems to only remember the bad. He was so completely lost in how to help her. By the time I was ten, he was drinking pretty heavily. I guess it was his way of coping, but without my father's support, my mother's episodes became more and more violent and her moments of lucidity farther and farther apart, until one day she just up and left."

Bella frowned at my declaration, taking my hand in hers as her eyes filled with fresh tears. "Do you know what happened to her?"

"No." I shook my head and squeezed my eyes closed, swallowing against the painful lump in my throat. I was mere moments away from a complete breakdown when her warm arms wrapped around my waist, smoothing the ragged edges of my heart. I squeezed Bella tightly and let her presence calm me enough to continue. "She disappeared a few weeks after my fifteenth birthday. The police had no leads, but to be honest I don't think they really looked very hard. My mother had a... _reputation_. My dad reached out to every contact he could think of and milked favors from every acquaintance he'd ever met. Despite his bitterness, I think deep down he loved her. But none of it mattered. I...I think she just didn't want to be found."

"How do you know she left on her own? What if something happened to her?"

This was the part I hated most. Despite her reasons, I still loathed the way my mother had made her hasty exit. "She left me a note saying she was leaving. I, uh, found it in my room. She wrote her farewell to me on the back of the last photograph ever taken of the two of us together. My fifteenth birthday party. I…I keep it on my desk at work...as a reminder of sorts, I guess."

"I'm so sorry, Edward," she whispered. "I can't begin to understand what she was thinking by leaving you behind. I could never…" she trailed off with a shake of her head. "Maybe I can help-"

"No," I replied firmly. "It's been ten years. If she'd wanted to come back, she would have by now. I didn't tell you all of this to garner sympathy. I truly believe that my mother gave in to her disease and gave up on finding that normal, happy medium again. I don't want you to make the same mistake. You mean too much to me."

I could sense the mounting tension rolling off of her like a brewing summer storm, but she held her composure well as she chewed over my words.

"I know that you're drawing some kind of parallel between me and your mother, Edward, but I'm _not her_." Bella's voice, low and gritty, sent a shiver of desire through me despite its acidic undertone. "I don't enjoy being lost down the rabbit hole. Trust me, I've spoken to my share of schizophrenics and I don't experience that same sense of euphoria that they do while unmedicated. Mostly, I just feel lost."

"Then why do it, Bella?" I pleaded, my voice cracking. "Why take the risk?"

All prior traces of anger and annoyance disappeared as she ran her fingers through my hair. "Because it's what I'm meant to do, Edward. My gift…it's both a blessing and a curse."

With each word that spilled from her lips, my resolved slipped a little further. This girl had me completely wrapped around her finger and it seemed I was helpless against her charms. In the few days I'd known her, I'd broken multiple HIPAA regulations, disregarded hospital policy, jeopardized my medical license, and invited strangers into my home. Now she was asking me to disregard the oath I'd taken as a doctor.

I rubbed my hand briskly over my face and breathed deeply. "Fuck, Bella, this scares the shit out of me. So much could go wrong."

"I know," she whispered, "but I have to do this. I know you don't understand, but I'm involved now. I can't just let this go. There's a predator at that hospital and others could be hurt, Edward. Patients…"

I searched her soulful eyes for several long moments, and while I expected impatience I only saw sadness and longing reflected back at me. "Bella…"

"Please, Edward. Please…"

I took a deep breath and tried to tramp down the deep sense of foreboding welling up inside of me. "Adderall…I'll only allow Adderall. And in small monitored doses, Bella. I mean it!"

She flung herself at me before I could finish my list of conditions, nearly knocking us both backward out of the chair. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she muttered between peppered kisses along my cheeks and forehead. "I promise not to step a toe out of line!"

Her sudden gratitude was somewhat silly and flirtatious but overwhelming at the same time, making me want to kiss her senseless. I fought against the smile threatening to overtake me and instead grasped her firmly by her shoulders, pushing us back into an upright position. No matter how cute and innocent she seemed, I couldn't let my feelings for her cloud my judgment on this. She was just too fucking important.

"I'm not done, Bella," I continued. "You're not to leave this house unsupervised. Period. I've seen your medical chart and I know for a fact that you've never taken Adderall." She eyed me warily but nodded in acceptance. "This business of mixing psychostimulants with antipsychotic meds could really mess you up and I just don't know what side effects you might experience. So I need you here… _safe_ …with me. Promise me, Bella."

She studied me for a long minute and I almost expected her to say no to my conditions given her hesitance, but she finally acquiesced. "I promise, Edward." She leaned her forehead against mine and closed her eyes, her lips so close to my own that I could taste every moist puff of breath on my tongue.

Seconds away from kissing her senseless, I was interrupted by a soft knock on the partially closed door. Alice peeked her head inside and smiled. "Sorry to interrupt, but I made us some lunch and I don't want it to get too cold. It's your favorite, Bella."

Much to my chagrin, Bella peeled herself from my lap and my body shuddered in protest, missing her warmth almost immediately.

"If you mean your chicken tortilla soup, then I call dibs," she replied with an impish grin and sprinted from the room, following the enticing aroma beckoning from the kitchen.

Instead of following after her, I hung back, hoping to speak with Alice in private. The knowing gleam in her eye only confirmed what I already suspected. She'd foreseen this conversation. Hell, probably even this entire turn of events. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Jasper had already called in the Adderall.

"Tell me this is going to work, Alice…that she'll be okay."

Her heavy sigh gave me no reassurance as she leaned in the open doorway. "I wish I could, sugar. Right now, there are too many unknowns. Too many different directions this could go."

"I thought you were clairvoyant," I replied, but the words tasted bitter on my tongue. "You can foresee that I have cherry Kool-Aid in my fridge and predict what Jasper will bring home for dinner, but you can't tell me if I'm about to allow irreparable damage to the one person I care most about? Some fucking gift you've got there-"

"It doesn't work like that, Edward." Her quirked eyebrow and scolding smirk met my stone cold sneer in a heated battle of defiance. A clash of wills that only served to fuel my skepticism. But it was the almost indiscernible wince and her delicate hand perched atop the swell of her stomach that brought me back from the precipice.

Internally chiding myself for berating a pregnant woman, I was quick to dial back my temper a bit before proceeding. "Then tell me how it does work then."

An air of contemplation hung between us, almost stagnant from its weight, as she considered how best to answer. "Consider my gift as a dim set of headlights on a dark, deserted road. The straight path is easy to follow, but I can only see where you're going once you've decided to turn."

With a frustrated huff, I slumped further into the chair cushions. "Alice, do you always speak in metaphors?"

"I'm a psychic," she shrugged with a wicked gleam in her deep blue eyes. "Vague and dubious metaphors are par for the course."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: First and foremost, thanks for the kind 'welcome backs'! I'm so glad to know that I still have people interested in my stories after being away for so long.**

 **One more surgery in two weeks and hopefully I'll be right as rain. Until then, I'm writing up a storm. I updated The Philanthropist yesterday, and I'm editing the next chapter of Evolution as soon as this chapter posts. I'll do my very best not to make you guys wait that long for an update.**

 **So, on to the story. Will the meds work for Bella or will they do more harm than good?**

 **As always, I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.**

* * *

EPOV

I couldn't help the wide grin that broke across my face at the sound of her tinkling laughter. It was still early yet, and the sun was just beginning to peek through the living room windows, giving my twirling girl an almost angelic glow as she danced around the room.

With her hands raised in the air, she spun faster and faster, a whirlwind of chocolate hair and creamy skin, until tripping over her own two feet and landing squarely in my lap. Her giggles never ceased as she struggled to pull herself upright and my heart swelled with the rosy blush creeping across her cheeks.

I brushed the wispy wild strands away from her face and pulled the terrycloth robe back up over her exposed shoulder, my fingers lingering as they traced a line up her neck to her jaw. My cheeks burned as she nuzzled the palm of my hand, those big doe eyes nearly my undoing.

"Pretty, pretty green," she whispered, her nimble fingers blazing a trail across my forehead and under my eyes, brushing against my lips before retreating.

I swallowed thickly as my heart began to pound. This creature was so… _fucking beautiful_. I wanted to pull her close and kiss her senseless, but I knew that would be crossing a line. As much as I wanted her, Bella was… _not herself_. While I hadn't been able to sneak away to confirm my suspicions, I had a pretty good idea that I'd find a few missing pills from her bottle of Adderall.

"Mornin'," Jasper mumbled as he shuffled through the kitchen doorway. "I got your text-"

"Casper!" Bella exclaimed, leaping off my lap and launching herself at him.

His eyes widened in alarm, and he was barely able to steady himself before his arms were suddenly full of brown-haired girl. "Itsy?" he asked, his worried gaze meeting mine over Bella's shoulder.

She pulled back and planted a smacking kiss on his stubbly cheek, bouncing on her toes. "Yes, yes, yes!" she chanted excitedly, pulling him into the living room. "Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet," she giggled. "Lots to do, lots to do…"

Jasper sighed and tore his eyes away from Bella, one hand clenched in his untamed hair. "Did you check her pills?" he asked me.

I shook my head but kept my eyes trained on the bouncing beauty in his arms. "I…uh…haven't really had a chance. Bella kind of woke me up first thing."

I tried my damnedest to keep my expression impassive as memories of this morning's unorthodox wake-up call flitted through my mind. I could still feel her bare skin on my fingertips, her lips brushing against my jaw while her fingers delved beneath the waistband of my sleep pants, leaving me throbbing. I'd honestly thought I was dreaming until her sweet moan broke through my sleep induced haze. It had taken my addled brain and sorely neglected cock several long moments to realize that Bella was a little _off_ , and even longer to peel myself away from her warm body and wandering hands.

Jasper smirked at my flaming cheeks and twirled Bella in a circle, gracefully depositing her back on the couch next to me. With a heavy sigh, he plopped down into the nearby chair. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I know she only started the meds a few days ago, but I could see it in her eyes. She was never going to stick to that regiment you set for her. She's too damn impatient."

I groaned and leaned forward with my elbows on my knees. "Fuck…I know. I just wanted her to be safe, Jasper."

Some part of me instinctively knew that Bella would go this route. Over the last two days, her escalating anxiety had been damn near palpable, with each passing hour casting another shadow of failure across my sweet girl's face. I had tried to mollify her as best I could, but she withdrew from me almost entirely, skipping meals and holing herself up in her room. I had missed her sweet face in those few days.

Jasper chuckled as he watched Bella practically vibrating next to me. "Well, can't say as I'm sorry, really. Hell, she knew what she was doing, doc. Just makes things easier, I suppose."

"I don't see how," I replied snidely, my irritation at our situation ratcheting up a notch. Even more upsetting, I wasn't sure who I was angrier at…Bella or myself. "We were supposed to bring her down slowly. You said so yourself; she doesn't make any sense when she's completely unmedicated. So, this little stunt of hers did us absolutely no good. As far as I can see, she's set us back. We'll have to start over."

"Well, see…that's where you're wrong," he countered with a wide grin. "Before now, we'd never _induced_ psychosis. It was an idea we'd tossed around when a few important cases called for it, but all told we'd managed to steer clear of that road. But now that she's plunged headlong into a full-fledged episode, I know just the pharmaceutical cocktail that'll bring Itsy back from the brink without overdoing it." He snorted at my disbelieving look and shook his head. "Have a little faith, doc. We won't lose any time; I assure you. If anything, she did us a favor."

"Yeah…favor," I mumbled bitterly, unable to wrap my head around the concept. "So, what now?"

Jasper laughed a deep and throaty rumble and slapped his hands on his jean-clad knees. "Not a thing, doc. Well, not today anyway. I'll start her on the meds tomorrow. I want to give her at least a day to rest. I'd prefer longer, but I'm sure she won't have any part of it. You can bet your ass she'll be eager to get to work."

"Yes, work!" Itsy interjected, all previous playfulness gone from her voice. "No time to fuss about, Casper! Company's coming-"

With a stern look, he shook his head at her. "I said no, Itsy. Today, you take a break. You _play_. Do you understand?"

Her widening smile was almost blinding. "Play all day?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied with a wink.

While almost overjoyed at the thought of spending the whole day with the amazing creature sitting next to me, some part of me that I'd rather not acknowledge was still a bit apprehensive. While in her unmedicated state, Bella's childlike tendencies were endearing, but also deceptive. Underneath that innocent facade, she was pure sin wrapped in sweet smelling girl. I ached to be alone with her but didn't want to overstep any boundaries, so I'd welcome Jasper and Alice's company if for nothing more than to keep my overzealous dick in check.

As if he'd read my mind, Jasper cocked his head to the side and smirked. "I hate to put this all on your plate, Doc, but you'll have to look after our Itsy here. I need to take Alice in today to see an OB."

At the mention of the little gypsy, worry slithered down my spine and settled in my gut. I hadn't even noticed Alice's absence until Jasper mentioned her. "Is she okay? Are the babies all right?"

Jasper chuckled at my worried expression. "Relax, doc. I'm sure everything's fine. She's just feeling a little out of sorts-"

Bella groaned and slumped her head against my shoulder, huffing in frustration. "The waters are murky, and the fog is dense. A brief eclipse heralds a new dawn."

"It's like she's reading straight from a fucking horoscope," I mumbled, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

Jasper snorted at my obvious exasperation and shook his head. "I wish I had a handbook, doc, but I'm afraid you're on your own." With a long stretch and a wide yawn, he rose to his feet. "I've got Alice an appointment at ten, so we'll be gone most of the morning."

Looking between Jasper and Bella, I gulped down my worried pleas to stay and put on a brave face. "Do you have any instructions for me?" An exaggerated eye roll and a soft snicker from Jasper had me reconsidering my words. "I mean, is there anything, in particular, she should or shouldn't do?"

"She's not a pet, doc. You'll be fine." A series of soft musical chimes drew his attention as he fumbled in his pocket for his cell phone.

Bella sighed, her face pinched in irritation as she watched Jasper type out a quick reply to a text. "Demands an answer, but asks no question," she mumbled. Entwining her fingers with mine, she looked up at me through her long lashes and smirked. "Alice waits for no one."

Jasper grinned at her assertion, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "You got that right, sugar. I've got to get a move on. Now, you two be good today." With a quick wave goodbye, he made a hasty exit through the kitchen and out the back door, leaving me alone with the mischievous little sprite at my side.

With a quirk of her lips, Bella crawled into my lap and nuzzled her nose against the side of my neck, humming some vaguely familiar tune. Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought the urge to wrap my arms around her slim form and press her body to mine. The battle raged as the bare skin of her thighs taunted me.

Swallowing thickly, I managed to keep my hands by my side, but that didn't stop Bella's little fingers from wandering. With each pass of her fingertips across my skin, my resolve melted that much further, my fingers twitching at my side with the need to _touch_.

She shifted against me, taunting the beast with each little wiggle. But it was my whispered name, falling from her lips in a breathy moan that finally broke me.

"I shouldn't...not right, but… _fuck_ …I want to," I mumbled before crashing my mouth to hers, my fingers tangling in her silky hair. She kissed me back eagerly and for a brief blissful moment, all caution was thrown to the wind, and I was lost to her. It was as if time ceased to exist. Hands roamed, and lips wandered, eliciting soft whimpers and strangled moans…a symphony like no other. I couldn't say how long we remained wrapped around one another, but it was her tiny hand delving beneath the waistband of my pajama pants that brought me crashing back down to reality.

Reaching down, I grabbed her hand and tugged it away from my aching cock. "N..no...stop," I mumbled against her lips. "I can't do this."

Bella pulled back, the confusion on her face evident by her scrunched brow and tilted chin. Untangling her fingers from mine, she pressed her small hand against my chest, thrumming her fingers along with the rapid beating of my heart. She leaned in close, her lips barely brushing my ear, and sighed. "Liar liar, pants on fire."

Scrubbing my hands over my face, I slumped back into the couch cushions and stared at her unabashedly. "Fuck, you'll be the death of me…"

She giggled and wiggled her ass once more for good measure, before hopping off my lap and heading down the hall to the bathroom. It wasn't until I heard the water turn on that I finally snapped out of my stupor. So as not to waste the opportunity, I rushed to my room to change out of my pajamas and into jeans and a t-shirt.

Once fully dressed, I headed into the kitchen to start breakfast for Bella. Truth be told, I was thrilled to have her back with me. Her avoidance and self-imposed isolation over the last few days had been torture when I wanted nothing more than to be around her every minute of every day. Although I'd never been one for breakfast, other than the occasional bowl of Lucky Charms, today I cooked with a purpose. Topping the omelets off with a little cheddar cheese, I hummed a melody in my head, dreaming up ways to keep Bella entertained for the day that didn't involve violating the poor girl on every flat surface of my home. I was brought out of my musings by the sound of bare feet slapping against hardwood floors. Spatula in hand, I turned to ask if she'd like to eat in the living room and nearly swallowed my tongue at the sight before me.

Bella...completely bare and dripping wet, a puddle gathering under her feet as she stood shivering in my kitchen doorway.

"T-towel?" she mumbled through chattering teeth.

Although my body was slow to react, my mind reeled as I took in every inch of her. I blindly grabbed the closest cloth within my grasp and rushed forward to cover her naked body, praying that she wouldn't sucker punch me for ogling too long. Her tiny giggles completed my mortification as I quickly held up...a dishtowel.

"Uh...fuck," I breathed, my cheeks heating with embarrassment at the sorry excuse of a towel. "Sorry...this is...um..."

Without missing a beat, Bella plucked the dishtowel from my grasp and proceeded to wring out her hair with it, completely unaffected by my salacious gaze. Then again, maybe it was my slackjawed countenance that she was after all along. Seemingly satisfied that her hair was no longer dripping on my floors, she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my lips before scuttling from the room with dishtowel in hand.

Flustered and speechless, all I could do was bang my head against the wall while gripping the door frame. I was afraid if I let go, I might chase after her like a prepubescent schoolboy lusting after his first crush. I squeezed my eyes closed, but images of her naked body materialized in the dark behind my eyelids, tormenting me relentlessly. It wasn't until the smoke detector began blaring that I surfaced from my inappropriate fantasies.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I muttered, lurching for the smoking pan where our omelets laid to waste, burned to smoldering briquettes. Grasping the metal handle, I screeched like a little girl and flung the scorched pan into the sink, searing pain radiating up my arm. Cradling my blistering palm against my stomach, I turned in circles, searching desperately for the dishtowel to fan that fucking smoke detector, only to recall exactly where my dishtowel was. Defeated, I slumped against the sink and screamed at the infernal device as if it would realize my frustrations and cease its earsplitting tirade.

My hand throbbed, and my head pounded. With my eyes squeezed shut against the sensory overload, I was completely oblivious to the scraping of stool legs against the wood floor and the sudden burst of cool air against my overheated skin. I only began to come around once that incessant blaring ceased.

"Edward?"

My name from Bella's lips was like a soothing balm to my frazzled nerves, but given her previous state of undress, I was terrified to open my eyes. Soft fingertips brushed the hair from my forehead and traveled down my cheek to caress my jaw.

"Edward? Are you okay?" she asked in a breathless whisper.

I peeked one eye open and breathed a sigh of relief at the fully dressed woman before me. Her eyes were clouded with worry as she took in my tense form, her gaze eventually settling on my injured hand.

"You're hurt?" she whimpered, looking up at me, causing my heart to ache.

"I'm fine, Bella. It's just a burn." I brushed past her without another word and headed toward the bathroom in my office before I could embarrass myself any further. For fuck's sake, the day had barely begun and it was already in ruins.

Rummaging through the massive medicine cabinet on the wall, I tossed fresh gauze and a bandage onto the countertop. My palm was already starting to blister, so I wanted to make sure I got it covered. I was struggling a bit with the self-adhesive bandage when Bella's big brown eyes peeked around the doorway.

She let out a tiny squeak and inched her way inside the bathroom. "Can I help?"

"Uh…sure," I mumbled. My confident, brazen girl from this morning had disappeared, and this new meek little mouse had taken her place. I didn't like it one bit, but I couldn't help but feel responsible for this personality shift. My theatrics in the kitchen would've scared the shit out of anyone, regardless of their mental state.

She made quick work of securing my bandage, as if she'd done it a thousand times before, all the while keeping a carefully maintained distance. Once she finished, she took a hesitant step back and tucked her chin against her chest with her eyes trained on the floor. "I'm sorry…I didn't see…"

It took less than a second for me to realize that she was blaming _herself_ for my ridiculous injury. Reaching out, I pulled her to my chest and wrapped my arms around her. It would never be clearer to me than in that moment what a burden Bella carried on her shoulders. For her, it wasn't just about what she saw, but what she failed to see as well.

She burrowed her face against my neck and mumbled another unnecessary apology in between her quiet sniffles.

"Sweet girl, this isn't your fault," I sighed. "I should have been paying better attention, but you, I'm afraid, are an exquisite distraction."

At my admission, her lips quirked up into a small smile, and she squeezed herself against me, almost as if trying to make us one person. I could feel her rapid heartbeat through the thin cotton of our shirts, and my heart was quick to match time with hers. In that solitary moment, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her senseless, but before I could act on my impulses, Bella pulled away and gazed up at me with bright eyes.

"Come…please," she asked, tugging me from the bathroom by the front of my shirt. Rounding the corner into my office, she spun away from me and danced across the sunlit floor.

When I had first moved into this house, I'd wanted a music room, but I'd needed an office, so this room became both. A perfect dichotomy of the two sides of my personality. A mahogany desk sat on one side of the room, situated in front of a large picture window and bracketed by floor to ceiling built-ins on either side. At the opposite end sat my mother's baby grand piano.

Bella was drawn to it immediately, gliding her hands across the shiny black surface like a swan crossing a silver glass lake. Her eyes took in every inch of the pristine wood and ornate carvings as she moved gracefully around every curve. "Pretty, pretty box that holds keys without locks," she whispered reverently, taking a seat on the bench and running her fingers over the ivory. "Your mother's?"

I straddled the bench next to her and nodded. "Yes. It was her _favorite_ thing, and she was amazingly talented. She started teaching me to play when I was around five." My throat constricted and my eyes burned as the memories of my mother hit me hard and fast. She loved to play. It seemed to give her some measure of peace within her madness.

Bella peered up at me through her long lashes and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. With a feather touch, she brushed a stray tear from my cheek and sighed. "You miss her," she stated rather than asked. "Be patient…you'll see her again."


End file.
